1oI: Goddess
by silverscribbles
Summary: SPR receives a request which draws them to a mysterious mansion. Who is their client, and why's she so interested in Mai? And why is there a demi-goddess trapped in the attic? Hauntings are hinted at every turn and one mistake could cost them everything.
1. In the Beginning

Warning: certain parts of this story will include spoilers for the anime, manga, or novels.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt. I am not profiting from this story.

* * *

_Goddess_

* * *

**Chapter 1: In the Beginning**

* * *

_February_

* * *

Homework.

Part of it disgusted 17 year old Taniyama Mai, though the better – and probably bigger – part of her knew that it was an utter necessity. Too bad completing it was too, and for someone that had skipped the last week of school because of a part-time job at Shibuya Psychic Research (or SPR for short), Mai had to say that she was utter clueless on what the topic had to bring. She had a thirty question mathematics exercise due in tomorrow, but after the seventeenth question, Mai was just about ready to give up.

A brain wave picked up, just as she eyed the 18th question. If she carried over the value of P to the other side of the formula, while also dividing P from this end, wouldn't that balance out—

"Mai, tea!"

The brain wave vanished. Mai expelled a long, exasperated sigh as she resisted the urge to hurl her homework in the direction of the voice, which had no doubt belonged to Shibuya Kazuya, her two-year-long 18 year old employer, whom she'd nicknamed 'Naru' for short. She supposed it was her fault for trying to study here, though, especially when knowing that her boss had a tendency to spontaneously send her on random jobs.

Sighing, Mai stood up, heading toward the direction of the kitchen. She grabbed the teapot from the cupboard, pulling out the herbal tea and spoon along with it. After pouring the boiling water into the teapot, Mai set it onto a platter to present to her boss. She walked into his office, not even bothering to knock since the door was wide open, and set the teapot and cup onto his desk. Naru wasn't in the office, and Mai turned away, not particularly caring today.

When she got back, she saw a tall, dark figure stand over her desk, holding her exercise book in his pale hands.

"Naru?" Mai called out, walking over to him. "What's wrong?"

Without turning around, Naru replied, "You got question six and seven wrong."

Mai was immediately alert. "Really?"

Mai ran over to snatch the book out of Naru's pale hand, looking down at the question that he had pointed out. She went through the formula in her mind and then groaned, realising that she had used the present value formula instead of the future value formula.

"Not again," she sighed.

"Are you having problems with school?" Naru asked. He didn't sound curious or concerned, and if it had been anyone else, Mai would say that they were asking out of politeness. Since Naru didn't know how to be polite, however…

"I know you're not that bright, but if you need help, Lin could probably tutor you."

So he'd mentioned it just to stick another insult in her face. He didn't have to say it though; Mai knew who to go to if she was having problems. Lin-san was a full-time assistant that also worked at SPR, though he, unlike her, was a rather powerful medium that was an expert Onmyōji.

"I'll do it myself, thanks," Mai said dryly, shoving the book beneath her papers to hide it from Naru's view. Naru looked down at the textbook that she'd laid on the table, and just as he reached out to grab it, the soft jingle of the door opening was heard, and they both turned towards it.

"We have guests!" Mai said quickly, pushing her boss towards the central area. She hastily shoved her textbook and exercise book into her schoolbag – she didn't need Lin-san picking out her mistakes too – and ran to the kitchen to prepare another batch of tea. When she finished, she quickly grabbed her platter again and walked out to the meeting room. Mai could hear Naru's voice saying something from where she stood, and realised that the guest's back was facing her, while Naru sat across from the other person.

"Excuse me," Mai said, quietly announcing her presence.

The other figure almost jumped. "Oh, I didn't realise someone else was here too," the guest said, seemingly startled. Naru looked a little annoyed as the girl interrupted him, half-way through his speech, but the guest didn't seem to sense that – or she chose to ignore it – and instead, turned over towards Mai's direction.

Flowers literally surrounded the girl's face as she turned over to Mai, smiling, and Mai was at awe. Wow…a bishoujo.

The other girl was probably a cross of Japanese and some form of Western culture; her eyes were a bright green that twinkled brightly with the room's light, as her Asian toned skin set her blue-black hair off to perfection. The girl was probably around the same age as Mai or Naru, but at the moment, Mai suddenly felt a lot younger. Never in her life had Mai met a person so attractive before. Well, except for Naru, but Mai didn't really count him.

The girl seemed rather happy at Mai's interruption, because she stood up to walk towards Mai, who noted that the girl was dressed in black boots, black pants, and a knee-length cream coat with buttons that spelt out 'JAG'. She stood next to Mai; the girl was about a few centimetres taller than Mai's own 160cm – probably about 164cm.

"And is this your girlfriend?" the guest drawled slowly, looking back at Naru.

The spell around her shattered, and Mai's face flushed furiously.

"No, no, no; I'm just his assistant," Mai said hastily.

The girl's mouth opened to form a small 'o' before she slowly walked towards the coffee table, sitting down again. Mai followed her, leaning over as she set a cup of tea in front of Naru, and then reached to put one in front of their guest, who quickly disinclined it.

"No, thank you," the other girl smiled. "Tea makes your teeth go yellow; I'll be right without it."

Mai stifled her giggles as the girl's words ceased Naru's movements, just as the tea cup was almost at his lips. Her comment seemed to have turned him off his favourite beverage because he set the cup back onto the coffee table again. Mai sat the pot of tea down, though she sensed that tonight, she was going to be spilling two full pots of tea down the sink.

"Please, stay," the girl smiled, just as Mai turned to leave. Mai looked back at Naru, who nodded. Mai looked towards the chairs again, and opted for the singular chair at the far end, which was between both of them, though the furthest away.

Again, the girl pointedly ignored her boss as she turned over to Mai, just as Mai had sat down. "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Domjouji Ayami."

Mai nodded quickly. "Taniyama Mai."

Ayami-san nodded again, almost as though she were absorbing something into her mind, before turning back to Naru again, who seemed to be getting slightly annoyed.

"Now that you've finished acquainting yourself with my assistant, do you mind telling me what your business is today?" he asked icily.

Ayami-san was unabashed by his rudeness. "I heard that you only take cases that interest you, so I'll try to make it worth your time." The girl smiled vibrantly, though Mai could sense the slight wryness in her tone. She was probably one that was used to being sarcastic, judging by her proud gestures and almost mocking tone. Ayami-san reached over and pulled a picture from inside her handbag, holding it out to Naru. Mai caught a slight glimpse of white on the picture, just before Naru took hold of the picture. His eyes then widened a slight fracture.

"This is…" Even Naru seemed lost for words. Mai itched towards the picture, curious as to what had shocked her normally aloof employer.

"This was found in my attic just this morning," Ayami-san finished. Her smile widened. "Shibuya Kazuya, how would you like to send a deity home?"

* * *

_Exactly Fourteen Hours Earlier..._

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The darkness had long set across the skies before Domjouji Ayami reached the cemetery.

Many saw graveyards as eerily quiet places; Ayami, however, saw this place for what it truly was. She looked around the area, closing her eyes as she took in the endless screams of the tortured spirits around her. Hundreds of voices cried out in dismay, all of them weeping for their loved ones, the ones that had wronged them, or the ones that had –

The sound of a car's engine screeched beside her ears, and the voices of Other Realm vanished as her concentration broke. The wheels of the car screeched along the wet roads as the driver drove beyond the legal speed limit. Ayami watched the red Toyota skim down the road as the image of a crash – a collision with a tree, to be precise – flashed through her mind.

Perhaps there would be another spirit joining this bunch tonight.

Shrugging, Ayami continued her path, making sure not to step in any water puddles. It had been raining all day and the last thing she wanted was to get her boots wet. She carefully walked through the graveyard, avoiding the headstones and graves of those that had been buried here. After about five minutes, Ayami dumped her backpack on the ground, looking around.

Okay, the coast was definitely clear.

She knelt down towards the ground, reaching into her bag search around for something. After awhile, her fingers grasped onto a cold surface and she pulled a casket from her bag.

"Perfect," Ayami muttered. Carefully, she set the golden casket onto the ground, then grabbed some of the salt inside it, and spread it until it became an even circle around her body. When she was done, Ayami grabbed the silver knife next her and sat down carefully in her circle.

Then, closing her eyes, Ayami imprinted all sounds and senses that she heard and felt at this moment, completely relaxing her body. When she was sure that she had remembered everything she could about her surroundings, Ayami thought back to the spell she'd learnt and recited it.

"I call upon an ancient power

In this troubled sanctioned hour."

The girl pierced her finger with the knife she held, squeezing several droplets of blood onto the salt of the circle.

"Blood to blood, spell to spell

Call to spirits, to help us dwell."

"Witch to witch, ghost to ghost,

Use this blood, to cry a toast."

"Creatures from the other side,

Cross now the great divide."

Ayami paused, her eyes still closed. The incantation was finished, and now, all she could really do was wait. For a moment, nothing happened, and the world was as still as ever. Only the faint sound of water dripping in the background could be heard.

Water.

Ayami's heart skipped a beat and she shot up immediately.

"Seal!" Ayami shouted. A gush of wind circled her instantly, and just as she opened her eyes, she sighted a figure now standing in the salted circle that she had drawn, with her now standing outside it. The creature, whatever it was, took the form of a human woman. The white robes the woman wore fluttered around her as she screeched, her fingers clawing the invisible barrier that sealed her shut.

Then, the woman turned and hissed at her.

"What business have you, human, to summon me to a place like this?" the woman screeched.

Ayami threw her hair back before piercing her forefinger again and throwing the spare blood drops towards the circle. The few droplets of blood circled in the air before solidifying into small balls of marble, just as the Greek woman caught it.

"I search for the one that carries my blood," Ayami answered.

The creature stroked the marble ball, almost as though it were taking in the texture of Ayami's essence. "And you wish for me to find them for you?" the creature smirked. "Do you even know who I am, human? How dare you summon a goddess to do your petty deeds?"

Demi-goddess, actually, Ayami noted. There was no way she could have summoned a full fledged deity to a cemetery.

"Please, just do what I ask and then I'll send you back," Ayami said dryly. "In return for this favour, I'll offer gold and silver to your temple in Athens."

The demi-goddess didn't say anything. Though, she didn't have to. Just as Ayami felt the woman's power stretching beyond this field, Ayami tied her consciousness to the source immediately, travelling with it through the winds. Her vision passed by several mountains before skiing down a long, deserted road. Ayami sighted several unfamiliar streets in the darkened hour of Japan, just as the power halted outside a door in a wealthy commercial neighbourhood. The lights of this business were still on, and Ayami could see at least three figures inside the small building. She looked back towards the door again, trying to make out the words that were printed on the glass, and then blinked in surprise as she recognised English letters.

_S.P.R._

The demi-goddess's powers reached out towards the door, about to reach in and find the person Ayami was looking for when a slight sound was made.

There was a rustle behind her, and Ayami's concentration broke, sending her back to the present area. She turned her ear towards the direction slightly. Ayami could hear two or three people, just as a torch shined directly into her face.

"Hey, girl! What are you doing?"

Oh, perfect. The cops _just_ had to enter the scene now. Ayami's eyes turned back to the demi-goddess, just as the two police officers approached her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm with my friend," Ayami replied, switching back to Japanese.

One of the two officers shined the light towards the ground, eyeing the white salt that sealed the demi-goddess in the circle. He leant down, reaching his hand towards the circle.

"Don't—" Ayami snapped, just as he broke the circle of salt. Immediately, Ayami's gaze turned towards the demi-goddess that she had summoned, just in time to see the deity smirk. Ayami reached into her pocket quickly, searching for her charms. The demi-god in front of her disbanded, just as thousands of white lights shone in hundreds of directions.

The police officers cursed. "What the—"

The lights evaporated in the night and Ayami closed her eyes, not believing the ridiculousness of the event. She'd just released a Greek monster into the Japanese lands because some _idiot_ decided to break her barrier.

Ayami eyed him evilly.

Oh, he was _so_ getting it from her.

It had to be at least 5PM before she was able to leave. After hearing some random story that she'd made up, the police officers insisted on ringing her parents before letting her go home, even after Ayami had told them that she was a visiting student, and that her legal guardian was half-way across the world. Due to their persistency, however, Ayami had finally given up and she ended up ringing Touya back at the main house and asked him to come pick her up.

"And just sign here, Domjouji-san, and you'll be able to leave," the policewoman said brightly.

Ayami, rolling her eyes, quickly took the pen from her and initialised the spot pointed out. She muttered a sarcastic 'thank you' to the police officer and then looked towards the door to see a frail 60 year old Japanese man standing there, holding her backpack. Ayami headed towards him.

"Lady Ayami," Touya greeted, bowing his head.

Touya (Ayami wasn't sure if that was his first name or last name; her Japanese wasn't quite up to scratch) reached into the pocket of his suit, just as Ayami headed out of the room before him. She could see the disapproval on his face, though he chose to keep his mouth shut. He was the housekeeper at the mansion she was staying at, which belonged to her oh-so-loved childhood friend; as such, it wasn't quite his place to tell her what to do.

"Lady Ayami," Touya called out, and Ayami stopped, looking back at him.

"What?" she asked rudely.

Touya held a cell phone out towards her. "It's Raidon-sama."

Ayami sighed, realising what was going on. Oh, that was right. She _really_ needed Raidon to call up and rub it in now.

"Hello?" she called, speaking rather unenthusiastically.

"Arrested just two days into your trip, Ayami?" a sophisticated male voice spoke, his tone in complete contrast to hers – darkly amused, of course – as he heard her joy. "Looks like you chose the wrong cemetery, sweetheart."

"Hey, I didn't know I was going to get arrested for a small thing like that," Ayami said, her tone guarded. "The cops in Japan work too hard."

"Who told you to crack open a vein to commune with the dead at 3AM in the morning?" Raidon's voice asked, forever laughing as Touya held the door open for her as she passed through. "You're lucky they took you to the station and not a psych ward."

"It ain't my fault that the spirits are most sensitive and powerful at that time of night. If you wanna blame someone, blame antichrist. He was probably the one that set up that hour."

"If it was just a spirit, the police wouldn't have been able to see it, would they?"

Ayami froze. He'd hit so close to home, it was eerily creepy. "I'll handle it," she said stiffly.

The amusement in his voice was so evident, Ayami just wanted to stab him. "I'm sure you will," he said. "And until then, keep my manor in one piece, please."

Ayami didn't even bother saying goodbye; she snapped the cell phone shut before tossing it back at Touya, who caught it hastily like the frail old man that he was. He drove her back to the Main House, and Ayami headed into the living room to grab some liquor. Then, she cursed as she realised that Raidon had locked his cabinet. Touya, on the other hand, almost sprinted to Raidon's study room upstairs and emerged about ten minutes later with a few things.

"Lady Ayami." Touya held up a stack of papers. No doubt, they were brochures of the people that had the power to send the spirit back. Even without knowing what it was that she had summoned, he was dutifully prepared to get rid of it. Ayami took the paper from the old man and began going through it.

"I am this close," Touya said, holding his index finger and thumb closely together, as though he were measuring something, "to calling up Hiroko-sama and sending you back to her."

Ayami waved off his worries. "And anger sweet Raidon? Who's scarier to you: my grandmother, or your boss? Calm down," Ayami advised. "If the creature I summoned could still be held in a salted circle, then it's not quite time to panic just yet."

Touya rolled his eyes. "Please don't cause any trouble, my lady," Touya begged. "My heart is frail, and if Raidon-sama—"

"Oh, relax," Ayami said again, rolling her eyes. Of course, god forbid Raidon be troubled about anything. "It'll be coming for me soon, since I was the one that summoned it. We'll just trap her in the attic in case anything goes wrong. With all the charms Raidon chucked around here, it's not like anything can get out."

Now, he appeared even more stricken. "Yes, my lady. It can't get out, but it's not like we have enough power to send it back to where it came from. Trapping it in the house is a disastrous—"

Ayami heard a crash upstairs, just where the attic was, and she quickly murmured a spell to seal off the area.

"Too late," she said brightly, standing up.

Touya's head fell into his hands again and he sighed. "Have you at least found a group to help us get rid of her?" he asked, his tone muffled slightly. It was obvious that he was starting to give up.

Ayami smiled brilliantly, lifting the picture of a door. It was identical to the one that she had seen in her premonition, meaning the person she was searching for was no doubt with these people also. Ayami hadn't betted on them being a ghost hunter, but that would do for her too

_S.P.R – _Shibuya Psychic Research.

That was obviously where she was heading next.

* * *

23.06.2008: Posting of first chapter. I haven't written any Japanese cultured works in a long time, so please tell me if you note any mistakes. And, I haven't ever written a Ghost Hunt fanfiction either. shrugs

Thank you for reading.

Reviews and Criticisms are welcomed.

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	2. Haunted House

**Chapter 2: Haunted House**

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"A Greek Goddess?" Bou-san shouted, both his hands slamming onto the coffee table. "This I've got to see."

Matsuzaki Ayako, their resident miko-san, dutifully reached over and hit him across the head, which seemingly calmed the older man down a little bit. Mai giggled softly as Bou-san rubbed the back of his head. Their usual group had gathered today for a meeting, before heading off to yet another case. John-san, their Australian exorcist, hadn't been able to make it today though he did promise to be there for the actual case.

"No one's saying you can't see it," Ayako said, seemingly exasperated. She turned back to Naru. "I'm not sure about dealing with Gods and Goddesses though; remember how the last one ended?" She was no doubt referring to the infamous event with Okobu-sama. During the slight duration of the case, a shrined god of the area had been angered by his abandonment and had therefore caused paranormal events in the area, calling spirits to do his bidding.

Hara Masako, a celebrity medium, nodded thoughtfully, half of her face hidden behind the sleeve of her kimono. "Who is this client, anyway?" she asked softly.

Mai pulled out the file that they'd written up of Ayami-san. Just as she opened her mouth to answer Masako's question, Bou-san interrupted her.

"This street, huh? Its part of a rather prestigious area," he noted, reading a copy of the same file that Mai was holding. "Whoever this client is, she has a lot of money."

"The question I'd like answered," Masako started, "is what a Greek Goddess is doing in Japan? And how did it end up sealed in that attic, anyway?"

Bou-san shrugged as though he really couldn't care. "Well, maybe the previous owners were a little paranoid so they set up wards around the house. During the times of war, a lot of families did that, you know. Especially since this one is located about one hundred kilometres from the cemetery; it practically screams 'haunted'."

An image of Urado appeared in Mai's mind instantly. Before she could help it, Mai shivered. She looked towards Naru, realising that he was speaking.

"Pack your things tonight, okay? We'll head out tomorrow."

Mai blinked. "But this case shouldn't take long, should it?" Mai asked doubtfully. Normally, they took longer to complete a case because they had to find the source of the problem, as well as the mysterious surrounding it. In this case, they'd already found out what the problem was, so all they really needed to do was exorcise the spirit.

Naru cast a frosty glare and Mai swallowed. Perhaps it would have been best for her to keep her mouth shut.

"We don't know anything about this being just yet, so we still need to do a bit of research before we do anything rash," Naru said.

Mai nodded quickly. "Okay."

Naru turned back to the others. "We'll meet back here in two hours. Don't be late."

* * *

_Day 1_

* * *

"Amazing," Mai breathed.

Lin-san's van parked right outside Ayami-san's mansion, which seemed to stretched beyond infinity, almost as though it were a castle. Mai craned her neck as she looked up at the top level, still not quite finding the opening at the roof. Naru stood next to her as he also stared up at the castle.

"I can't even see where the mansion ends," Mai said, awed. How large was Ayami-san's home anyway?

"You're just rather short, Mai," Bou-san let out. He was unpacking some of the equipment from the back trunk, though even he seemed at awed by the size of the house.

Mai stuck her tongue out at him, and just as she opened her mouth to reply, the front door of the mansion opened. Ayami pushed open the double doors of the castle, tilting her body forward until both doors opened all the way. She left the doors dangling where they were as she sighted them and headed over to face Naru and Mai.

"Ayami-san," Mai greeted. She noticed an elder behind Ayami who has now busied himself by locking the opened doors to the walls, in order to keep them still.

"I'm glad you could all make it," Ayami smiled. She turned over, and smiled brightly at Mai again, then, she reached out and held both Mai's hands with her gloved ones as though she were greeting an old friend. "Ayami will do," she corrected, and somehow, her smile warmed Mai towards her immediately.

"Ayami," Mai amended, her smile now widening.

The other girl smiled brightly, and she let go of one of Mai's hand and turned over to Naru. "I'll take you all on a tour around the house, first, if you don't mind. It's probably best if you know where everything was before you set anything up. I've organised the rooms that you've requested and made sure that there are of good condition."

Naru nodded. He looked over at Mai, who caught his hint immediately. Raising her voice, she called everyone over so that they could introduce themselves to their client. Ayami's smile turned lighter as she was introduced to Bou-san, Ayako, Masako, John, and Lin-san. She politely nodded towards each person that was being introduced, and Mai looked back at Naru, noticing that he was watching Ayami.

"This is the housekeeper, Touya," Ayami said, gesturing towards the old man, and Mai quickly looked back at the other girl. "If you need anything at all, just call Touya and he'll get it for you."

The old man beside Ayami, probably around 60 or so years old, bowed deeply in greeting. Mai and John-san quickly returned the gesture, though her gaze was still cast curiously around the house. None of the others seem to bother greeting Touya-san, though the older man didn't seem to mind.

Ayami gestured them towards the house and she took several steps ahead of them. Immediately, the group followed, though Lin-san volunteered to stay behind to unpack the equipment. As they walked through the front doors of the mansion, Mai fell into step with Bou-san, awed by the size of the house.

"Wow," she let out, amazed once again. The inside of the house was decorated with prestigious interior basing of the Western culture, partially reminding Mai of an 18th century Shakespearean castle. Just walking through the house made Mai feel as though she were stepping into the past.

She heard Ayami's voice at the front and quickly turned her attention back to the present to hear what the other girl was saying; the last thing Mai needed was to get lost in this place.

"The manor has up to five levels in total, including the basement and the attic. The basement's got several rooms, though it is generally used for storage so I don't personally recommend any of you going down there. Meals are generally served on the first level; I'll show you all to the dining area later on if you like. You'll be staying on the second level; there's enough rooms for you have one each – it's up to you how you'd like to divide your rooms. The third level consists of the general living chambers, the music room, and the library. You're free to use them in anyway you please, though I do ask you to refrain from entering the West Wing of the third floor; it's the personal living chambers, so I'd rather you not step into the area.

"Touya and I are the only people living in this house at the moment; feel free to call either of us if you need help with anything."

Bou-san whistled as he noted the large chandelier floating in the centre of the staircase that twisted around a wide circle until it reached the third level of the house. "You have a humungous home for just two people, though."

"Actually, this is my friend's ancestral home. I'm just staying here for awhile during my vacation," Ayami replied.

Mai could hear an expression of interest from their resident miko-san. "Where do you go to school? Doesn't class start again, already?" Ayako asked.

"I still have another month off because I'm starting university, so I figured I'd come over here during the mean time; I had a four month break," Ayami answered.

"Four month break? Which country are you from?" Mai asked curiously. Ayami-san seemed to follow a different schooling schedule than them. Mai had only started as a senior last September, and Ayami, who was the same age, was ready to go off to university.

"I'm Australian," Ayami answered.

John-san smiled brightly. "Really? I come from Australia too," he said. "Which region do you come from, Ayami-san?"

"Queensland," she replied shortly.

"Ehh…you don't have much of an accent though," Mai pondered.

Ayami's smile brightened. "I was raised as a Japanese, believe me," she laughed. Ayami stopped walking suddenly, stopping right outside a tall open door. "This is the East Wing; you guys will be staying here." She turned towards Naru; Mai could tell that Ayami already knew who was in charge in this group. "If you don't mind, Shibuya-san, I'll leave it to you to divide the rooms.

"My room number is 27; just call me on the intercom if you need me for anything."

_Intercom_? Mai's eyes widened. Just how big was this house, anyway? Ayami nodded politely at them again before turning back to the staircase. As she went, Mai noticed Touya-san take a step forward towards Ayami, leaning as though he were murmuring something light in her ear. Whatever Touya-san had said turned Ayami's face harden immediately, and Mai stared. She couldn't help but notice how cold Ayami's face had turned; it was almost like she was a different person.

Someone nudged her arm. "Mai, are you listening?"

Mai turned over to Ayako and apologised immediately. "I'm sorry; did you say something?"

"Naru was saying that you can have the room at the far wing." Bou-san frowned. "What's wrong, Mai-chan?"

Mai shook her head, forcing a smile onto her face. Naru assigned their rooms to them, and Mai, by procedure, went there and unpacked her clothing. Afterwards, she went to base where she found Bou-san sitting inside with Naru and Lin-san, who was typing away on his laptop, as per usual. Apparently, Naru had sent Ayako, Masako, Bou-san and John-san out to check on the house. Bou-san, however, had finished quickly and headed back to base before the rest.

"This house is a little strange though, don't you think?" Bou-san asked, looking around. "It's obviously old, and the owner's obviously very rich, but in a house this large, there's only Domjouji Ayami and the butler, Touya-san."

Mai shrugged, still not being able to get Ayami's expression out of her face. Her eyes had turned so cold, completely contrary to how she was when she was talking to them. It had almost been… inhuman.

"Mai-chan, what are you thinking about?"

Mai sent Bou-san an appealing glance. He'd always been like an older brother to her; she knew it would be alright to ask him. "Bou-san, what do you think of Ayami?"

The monk's eyebrows rose, almost as though he were surprised by her question. "Ehh…this must be the first time you don't like someone friendly, Mai."

"No, it's not that," Mai said hastily. "I think Ayami is a good person. It's just…"

There was something _about_ the other girl that made her rather peculiar. Mai wasn't sure what it was. She could sense that Ayami meant no harm, and she'd been nothing but generous so far, but the expression Mai had seen on her face when Touya-san had spoken to her before…

It was as though they'd been two completely different people.

Then, she turned back and realised that Bou-san was still waiting for her to finish.

"Do you think there's something strange about Ayami?" Mai asked.

Bou-san blinked twice, clearly startled by her question. Mai was, after all, generally not one quick to judge. "You're the resident psychic in here," Bou-san pointed out. "Why don't you tell me?"

Mai didn't know how to explain it. It was as though a part of her knew that Ayami was a good person, but what she'd seen that afternoon….maybe she'd just been seeing this; it was probably best if she didn't share the news with anyone just yet.

Mai looked around bleakly. "I don't think it's my powers that are telling me this. It's based more on –" what was the proper word for it? "- woman's intuition?"

Bou-san's eyes widened. "Mai-chan," he said, reaching out to her in a consolidating manner. "You're not a woman just yet."

Her eyes widened and she immediately grabbed the closest file, reaching over to slap Bou-san across the head with it. Instinctively, however, Bou-san had already covered his head so all the files did was collide with the back of his hand.

Then, Mai stopped just as she felt them being watched. She quickly snapped her gaze towards Naru and Lin-san and saw them looking towards the door. Mai turned over to the direction of the door and saw Ayami standing by the door hedge. She looked around the room, almost curiously, before turning back to look at Mai, who was still holding the papers over Bou-san's head.

"I hope everything's alright in here," Ayami said finally.

Mai nodded quickly, lowering the file. How long had she been standing there for? Had she heard what Mai had said about her?

"It's all fine," Mai said hastily. "Is something wrong, Ayami?"

Ayami's smile brightened and she shook her head serenely. "No, Shibuya-san asked me to come here."

Mai's mouth formed a small 'o' as she realised why Ayami had been called here. In the SPR office, they'd been unable to ask Ayami-san about the case because it was quite obvious what the problem was. Now though, it seemed as though Naru wanted to learn a bit more about the case before going any further.

Ayami, smiling, agreed to participate in their interrogation and she led them over towards the library at the end of the corridor. She sat down by a set of formal couches leaning back against them comfortably. Naru sat across her, pulling out his file as Mai settled beside him.

Naru, of course, got straight to the point. "Domjouji-san, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few things about this house."

Ayami, however, was completely at ease with his brusqueness. "Actually, if it's about this house and its owner, I really can't tell you much," Ayami said, smiling apologetically. "I don't live here often myself, so I don't know much about the place. As for the owner…it would be like betraying his privacy if I were to tell you about him here and now while he wasn't here."

Naru blinked. This was the first time he'd hit a blank wall before even starting.

Before Naru could say anything however, Ayami swiftly continued. "I can assure you, however, that the owner will have nothing to do with the demi-goddess in the attic. As for this house, all the files related to it should be stored in the library, which you are more than welcomed to search in personally."

Again, Naru blinked, though he quickly composed his expression once again. Ayami looked over at Mai, her eyes twinkling with amusement before she turned to answer the question Naru had just asked her.

"You're more than welcomed to visit the attic. In fact, you can head up there now if you wish."

Naru accepted her prompted invitation and Ayami smiled as they all got up, heading back to base first. While they walked, Naru stood slightly in the background, seemingly peering around the house. Ayami chatted to Mai casually about school, Japan, and the latest tourist attractions. When they finally got back to base, Masako, Ayako, and John-san were already sitting there with Bou-san and Lin-san. Next to them, Touya-san stood, and he headed over towards Ayami as soon as he saw her.

They didn't tell Naru if they'd found anything, and Mai had a feeling it was because of Ayami's presence. Ayami herself was speaking in very low tones to Touya-san in another language beside them, and Mai didn't quite miss the slightly vague expression on Masako's face as the celebrity medium turned towards their client, her red kimono swishing lightly with her movement.

"There are many cultural pieces in this house, Domjouji-san. These must have all cost your friend a fortune," Masako noted.

Ayami paused in her speech and turned towards Masako. There was a slight coolness to her tone as she eyed the other girl. "Really now?" Ayami smiled. "And which piece were you specifically referring to, Hara-san?"

Talk about getting right to the point.

Masako hid her mouth behind the sleeve of her kimono but Mai still saw the other girl's eyes widen slightly. Clearly, she hadn't thought that Ayami would be so blunt about it.

"None in particular, Domjouji-san," Masako replied, once she'd recovered. "There are just many artefacts in this house; it's uncommon for a Japanese family to sport such varieties of historical pieces."

Ayami smirked, as though knowing that Masako wasn't being truthful and gestured behind her. Immediately, Touya-san seemed to appear from nowhere and he bowed his head respectfully.

"Ayami-sama," the man murmured, his eyes still set on the ground.

"Touya, we're escorting our guests to the attic."

Naru turned to her suddenly. "Mai, go and check on the equipment; there seems to be some left downstairs in the main corridor."

Mai nodded lightly, sensing her dismissal. She noticed Lin-san's eyes slightly widening at the corner of her eyes, though she wasn't quite sure where that came from. Although a part of her was keen to see what was trapped in the attic, she knew better than to argue with her boss. It didn't quite stop her from feeling irritated, however, as she left.

"Touya," Ayami called out, looking back towards the housekeeper. The elder, whom had literally blended into the background, took a step forward, his arm held across his chest as he bowed slightly. "Please escort our guests to the attic."

Mai felt someone tap her shoulder and when she turned around. Ayami's smile greeted her again and she frowned, looking back at Naru and the others. They were being led away by Touya-san. Naru didn't even glance in their direction as he left, and somehow, Mai couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment.

"Your boss doesn't look happy," Ayami noted. Her smile of amusement withheld any concern towards Naru's temperament, though Mai didn't quite know what Ayami meant: Naru had looked fine to her.

"He's always like that," Mai replied. "You don't have to come with me, you know. I can check on the equipment myself." Mai would hate to trouble a client with her problems.

Ayami shrugged. "I figured you might not know your way around the house yet, so I'd take you downstairs."

Mai was incredibly grateful. She'd lost count of how many times she's gotten lost in a client's house. Looking around though, Mai sighted countless paintings hanging on the walls that were from cultures around the world that Mai didn't even recognise. Something about the unknowingness of these art pieces, however, drew Mai towards them even more to the house.

"This is a very beautiful house," Mai breathed.

"If you're dead and in the market for something to haunt," Ayami said dryly. "It's expensive; that's what you mean. And it also sports a variety of artefacts that literally scream 'bad taste'."

Mai couldn't help but smile at her cynicism. "Maybe that's what lured the demi-goddess here," she joked.

Then, Ayami smiled and Mai stared, knowing that there was a lot more to the girl than what she was letting on. "Perhaps. Oh, and Mai, don't wander off on your own in this mansion, okay? Stick to the main hallways," Ayami advised. Mai frowned, not quite getting where the other girl was coming from. "This house doesn't like intruders."

Mai didn't quite understand what Ayami had meant then, though judging by Ayami's tone, she could tell that it wasn't her place to question her further.

* * *

The world around Mai was dark, yet the glows in the area seemed to shimmer in the night. The dark auras burnt in an almost magical way as hundreds of wisp-o-wasps floated around a girl who had her back turned to Mai. They were inside a cemetery, by the looks of it. Mai gazed around rather cautiously before taking a wary step towards the other figure.

Then, the girl began muttering something in an unfamiliar language. She murmured what sounded like a chant before pausing. Suddenly, the circle the latter stood in seemingly glowed for a moment, and then, the image of the girl's back shattered unexpectedly.

Mai was suddenly thrown into another world of darkness, only this one was rimmed with the morning fog. Now _this_ was like her usual dreams, which meant…

She snapped her gaze towards the smoky mist and just as she'd predicted, a dark figure slowly emerged from the darkness, heading towards Mai's direction.

Naru's familiar face approached her and as usual, he greeted her with the usual line.

"Mai, what are you doing here?"

"Err…" Well, it wasn't as though she was given a choice about coming here, really. He generally started off the dreams with a line similar to that; Mai had had these dreams countless times over the years while working for SPR. Mai didn't quite understand if this time, he was referring to the dream while she stood outside the mansion or referring to her outer body that was in Ayami's house.

Suddenly, beside them, Ayami materialised. She wore her average, everyday clothing but beside her, there was a boy, probably no older than Naru. He was extraordinarily good looking but there was something almost eerie about his expression. The bishoujo and bishounen gazed at one another; their expression a complete contrast the latter's. The boy was smiling rather brightly at Ayami –who, in turn, appeared flushed with anger – though he fluently spoke to her in a foreign language.

Mai frowned at the foreign basis of the language. She didn't recognise it at all. "What language are they speaking in?"

Mai turned to look towards Naru who in turn, frowned at the pair in front of them. "Their arguing in Ancient Gaelic, I think. I'm not quite sure what they're saying though."

Mai would have given anything to know though. Ayami had never looked so angry before, ever. Her eyes were widened, her face livid. Mai may not have known what they were saying but it was quite obvious that whoever the other boy was, he was getting to Ayami quite easily. Ayami, however, had seemed like such a gentle soul when Mai saw her; Mai didn't understand what it was that would get the other girl so angry.

What she didn't get even more was why Ayami would appear in her dream. Mai rarely dreamt of a live person unless they were related to the case somehow.

Well, except for Naru anyway.

Naru's voice broke Mai out of her reverie and she turned to him as she felt a light hand on her shoulder. "Don't trust Ayami too much," Naru advised, gazing at the other pair still. "She's not quite as safe as you think."

Mai didn't quite understand what Naru meant, but part of her knew it was better not to argue. Suddenly, the boy next to Ayami snapped his head towards Mai's figure; his eyes fixed directly where she was standing. Mai stared, her heart skipping a beat as she realised what was happening.

He could _see_ her.

Naru was clearly startled too, though before he could say anything, he dissolved into a thousand wisp-o-wasps, fading into the glowing night.

That had never happened before…

Mai snapped her gaze towards the other boy, her breathing sharp with fear. What on earth had that been?

Ayami was frowning. "What are you looking at?" the other girl demanded, speaking Japanese at last.

The boy turned back to Ayami, who was eyeing him rather suspiciously. He smiled rather endearingly at Ayami, who in turn looked towards the area Mai was standing at, though she didn't seem to see anything at all.

"There's nothing there," the boy said evenly. He looked towards her again, and Mai found herself staring directly into a set of incredibly violet eyes. "Nothing at all."

Something seemed to hook by the back of her navel, jerking her violently towards another area. Mai felt herself fall backwards and she landed on the bed with a thump, the images from the dream fading from her mind. Immediately, Mai took in a deep and breathe and breathed heavily. Her heartbeat lashed out furiously and she reached towards her upper body, trying as hard as she could to soothe her chest.

Mai felt her pulse lessen and she closed her eyes, grateful that she'd calmed down.

What had that been about though? Mai had never had a dream like that before. Swallowing her confusion, Mai gazed around the room, trying to calm herself down. As her eyes swept pass the mirror on the dressing table in front of her, Mai's eyes widened when she saw what was reflected.

There was someone else sitting next to her on her bed.

* * *

30.06.2008: Hey. Another chapter. Thank you to all who have reviewed or read the previous chapter. I left this one at a cliffhanger, so yeah...hopefully, it was a little creepier this time. Well, hopefully the last line was anyway.

Cheers!

curator.


	3. IQs and Drinks

**Chapter 3: IQs and Drinks**

* * *

_Day 2_

* * *

There was someone sitting on her bed.

In the mirror, Mai saw the shape of a little girl – one that she definitely had not seen before she slept – sitting next to her.

Swallowing, Mai summoned the courage to look over, her movements slow as she forced herself not to close her eyes.

Brown eyes, red hair and a mildly vacant expression. The ghost – a little girl, actually – had the face of a comatose patient that Mai had once seen at a nursing home, only her eyes were wide open. Something about the girl's expression was incredibly sad. Mai watched her, almost immobilised as she saw the beautiful little girl, who could not have been any older than six or seven, sit beside her. She wore a sakura printed kimono, her hair tied in a pair of plaits that framed the sides of her small face. The child was dressed as though she were going to a festival; if she hadn't been sitting next to Mai, who could therefore see her slightly transparent, Mai never would have known that this was a ghost.

Then, Mai saw blood form at the spirit's lips and she gasped. With the small enunciation of sound, the little girl jerked lightly and Mai's heart skipped another beat.

Slowly, almost mechanically, the little girl turned her head towards her. Mai's eyes widened and backed away from her bed immediately, falling onto the ground. She stood up hastily and her back collided painfully with the dressing table's corner but she ignored it, backing quickly towards the wall.

"No way," Mai breathed, staring as the little girl turned over to the edge of the bed, bounced down from it, and then slowly floated towards Mai's direction.

"Oh god."

Blood seemed to drip the steps that the child walked, but when Mai looked at her, she saw that no part of the child was covered in blood. Only her shoes were completely stained with the red substance. Then, as she felt the wall behind her, a sense of dread filled Mai as she realised that she'd been successfully cornered. She turned towards the open space of the room anxiously and realised that the child was now directly in front of her, hovering in order to reach Mai's height. Her face could not have been more than a foot away from Mai's.

The girl's hand reached out and as she did, blood dripped from her fingertips onto Mai's pyjamas, leaving a print against the pink flannel.

The child smiled. "Want some?" she offered.

That officially cracked her calm. Mai's breathing became heavier and she sucked in deeply, ready to shriek.

"If you scream," the child assured, an insane curve of lips framing her perfect face, "I'll slice your throat."

A light blade, one like the one the barbers used, materialised in the child's hands. The silver seemed to approach her slowly, and as it was an inch from Mai's eyes, the child moved it to a side. The child gave an insane smile and she shifted, slowly caressing Mai's cheek with the blade.

Mai shut her eyes tightly, her gaze resolutely averted from the child. Her heartbeat lashed out and Mai bit her tongue, forcing herself not to scream.

_Someone. Anyone. Please save me!_

The coldness vanished and slowly, Mai opened her eyes.

There was no one in front of her.

Mai straightened, now assessing the rest of the room.

The blood still dampened the carpet where the ghost child had walked, but there was no one else in sight. Light from a passing car leaked into Mai's bedroom and she continued to watch the area, noticing how unearthly quiet it had suddenly became.

Not wanting to wait for the child's return, Mai bolted immediately from the room.

* * *

Mai wasn't sure how long she'd ran for, but the wind felt normal in her ears.

She didn't know how big this house was, but she'd ran for quite some time now and somehow, Mai was still inside it. She didn't know how many staircases she'd climbed or how many paths she'd crossed; somehow, she'd managed to keep going. And now, Mai found herself standing in the middle of a darkened hallway.

And she realised that she was lost.

"Mai," a voice called out. "What are you doing here?"

At the corner, Ayami seemed to have materialised, a frown framing her face. The other girl walked slowly over towards Mai. She seemed to have a rather peculiar scent on her, but Mai couldn't quite recognise it. Mai looked around, not sure where she was. Then, she remembered back to the route that she had taken and realised that she'd strayed to the third level. Judging by the puzzled expression on Ayami's face, Mai could tell that she had entered the forbidden West Wing.

"I'm so sorry. I must have gotten lost."

Ayami frowned. "I don't mind too much, it's just not safe for you to wander alone. If you wanted to check the area out, just call me or Touya next time. And don't tell your boss," Ayami added. "I'd hate to see him abuse the right."

Mai nodded dumbly. Her emotions were still numb from the adrenaline rush she'd received from running. Ayami frowned at her lack of response, then, her eyes snapped with immediate attentiveness. With the girl's sudden focus, the lights in the room snapped on and Mai shut her eyes quickly, blinking away the spots that had appeared. A hand grabbed Mai's arm and suddenly, she felt herself being led away.

By the time Mai's eyes had refocused again, she noticed that she was now standing inside a room that seemed to spread out to infinity. Ayami had disappeared in one of the rooms at the end, but the room was far too astounding for Mai to keenly notice. The first thing she sighted was the huge fireplace that was left burning, then the four-poster posts of the king sized bed located at the fair centre, the study corner, a series of mint couches that surrounded a media set, and the huge dressing table. Mai recognised some of the handbags and clothing that had been dumped onto the floor not far from her and realised whose room this was. The rest of the level had seemed so eminently cold, but in this room, a warm, welcoming feeling framed Mai's peace of mind.

Ayami's bedroom was huge. Mai had thought that the room she was staying in was large but this one here was larger than Mai's apartment and the S.P.R office. Maybe even larger than the two of them combined.

Though, when Mai thought of what had lurked in her room earlier, she suddenly didn't envy Ayami at all.

Ayami suddenly reappeared. She carrying three or four bottles between her fingers that Mai recognised as alcohol.

Part of Mai was overly conscious of what she looked like. Her hair was scruffy; she could feel strands of her fringe sticking onto her face due to her sweat. Mai didn't even look down to know that she was wearing her dreary, pink and blue flannel pyjamas. Next to Ayami, Mai felt overwhelmingly bare. It was almost surreal seeing the real Ayami here now when she'd just dreamt of the same girl, wearing the same outfit, just minutes ago in her dream.

Mai heard a sudden 'pop' and she looked over, sighting the other girl seat herself at white couch that Mai hadn't seen before. God, how big was this room anyway?

"So what were you doing wandering around a house like this at this time of the morning?" Ayami asked.

Mai opened her mouth, ready to reply when she realised that she had nothing to say. She couldn't readily announce to her client that her house was haunted, could she? Mai would have to at least tell Naru first.

"Couldn't you sleep either?" Ayami asked, offering Mai an explanation for her late night wandering. Ayami smiled, taking another deep sip of her drink. "Although I do think that your reason for staying awake late at night might be just a little different to mine. A drink?" Ayami offered, holding the bottle towards Mai.

Mai disinclined the other girl's offer, calming slightly as Ayami's tone soothed her immensely. "I'm not of age," Mai replied.

Ayami blinked. "Neither am I," she told her, before taking another swing of whatever it was she was drinking. "It's just West Coast," Ayami said, seemingly noticing where Mai's gaze was. "Less than 5 alcohol," she explained when Mai continued to look confused.

"I don't think you should drink too much," Mai said, almost hesitantly. The Ayami she was seeing now was completely different to the one she saw during the day. Was she drunk?

There was a wry expression on the other girl's face that told Mai that Ayami didn't think much of rules and regulations. "I just managed to get hold of some liquor, since the house owner was so cheap, he locked the cabinet. I need my daily intake of alcohol, Mai."

"It's probably best for you not to wander around by yourself." Mai opened her mouth, her apology on the tip of her tongue, but Ayami shook her head. "I'm not reprimanding you, Mai. It's just not safe. " Ayami took a deep sip of the drink, draining it of its contents. "People have gone missing in this house and their bodies would turn up days later, wasted. I don't want it to happen to you too."

Something told Mai Ayami was definitely not drunk. She spoke with clear certainty and she obviously knew what she was saying.

"So what's scared you tonight?" Ayami asked finally. The other girl set an empty green bottle onto the coffee table before proficiently reaching out towards the other bottle in front of her. "Besides the ghost, I mean."

Mai turned over in surprise, just as the cork of the wine bottle was removed with a 'pop'. There was a slight sizzle and Ayami watched the gas rise from the bottle she was holding as she frowned.

So much for her plan about telling Naru first.

"You know about the ghosts?" Mai asked sharply.

Ayami's smile was dry. "I even know the results for tomorrow's game when Japan vs. France, and let's just say that your Takigawa-san doesn't stand a chance against Matsuzaki-san's bet."

Mai was silent. Ayami knew about the ghosts. Did that mean that she was further linked to the case? Or maybe the two were completely unrelated. Mai knew next to nothing about this girl, but it wasn't often that someone knew their house was haunted and didn't care to do anything about it. Then, Mai frowned; how was it that Ayami knew it was a ghost that had bothered Mai in the first place?

"How do you know—"

"I know a lot of things," Ayami said flatly. Mai backed away slightly, realising that Ayami was getting defensive about the topic, though she had no idea why. Then, as though sensing that she was being a little harsh, Ayami calmed her expression and looked over towards Mai, seemingly concerned. "You should go back to bed; Shibuya-san's probably going to slave you around once again by tomorrow morning so it'd probably be best if you got some rest."

Mai didn't say anything again. She had no desire to return to the room she'd been staying in. The image of the ghost on the bed was still vivid in her mind. Ayami seemed to have sensed her reluctance, because she continued.

"If it makes you feel any better, you can stay in my room," Ayami said dryly. "Nothing's ever appeared here, and I doubt anything ever will."

"I don't want to intrude," Mai said quietly.

"I'm not used to staying in a room with someone else either. I'll just stay in Raidon's room," Ayami shrugged. "He won't care."

Raidon. Was that the name of the house's owner? Ayami had seemed rather reluctant to speak of him to Naru, but she'd just mentioned it casually to Mai. Was he the boy that Mai had seen in her dream too? Then again, how could a person that young own a house this big?

"You and Raidon must be good friends for him to trust you with his ancestral home," Mai said finally.

"It will be mine too if he gets his way."

Mai didn't quite understand what that meant but from the tone in her voice, Mai could tell that it wasn't her place to question further.

"This is a beautiful house," Mai said, then realised that she was repeating herself. Was she that nervous? Mai didn't even realise it.

"Even lovelier with the addition to the attic. And did you want to see the demi-goddess?"

The attic? At this time of the night? One of the doors suddenly creaked and a shiver ran up Mai's spine. The foreign sound made her heart skip a beat and she quickly turned towards the sound of disruption.

Naru's frown greeted Mai in return but at the sight of him, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Naru!" Mai let out, almost happy that he'd interrupted.

"Mai, what are you doing up so late?"

Ayami gazed over at Naru almost curiously and Mai sent out a message with her eyes. Ayami was proposing that they visit the demi-goddess at this time of the night. Mai really didn't want to go, but she couldn't really admit that she, an employee of a Ghost Hunting organisation, was afraid, could she? And that she definitely was, especially after the little girl's visit.

"Shibuya-san," Ayami greeted superciliously as she leant against the cushions, holding out her bottle. Mai recognised the drink as vodka, but she swore that just ten minutes ago, Ayami had been drinking out of wine bottle. "It's impolite to enter a girl's room without knocking. Care for a drink though, Shibuya-san?"

Naru's gaze wavered cautiously from the girl's bright, animated face to the bottle of open vodka in her hand. This time, Mai could even read her boss's mind.

"No thank you," Naru answered flatly. "I, Ayami-san, happen to like my brain cells the way they are. Perhaps you should start appreciating yours too and give up on liquor; the numerical basis of your IQ appears to be dropping even quicker than the temperature of the winter night."

"Yet the temperature of the winter night generally ascends once again when the sun rises the next morning. Relax, Naru-chan," she advised, placing a heavy emphasis on his nickname. Mai stifled her giggles as Ayami used their moniker to address him, "my brain cells won't do anything to jeopardise your case. Though if you were worried about Mai, you could have just said so."

Mai blinked, confused by the abrupt change of topic. Then, she realised what Ayami said and Mai blushed faintly, though she couldn't help but steal a gaze at Naru who in turn, appeared rather affronted.

"Let's all go to the attic together," Ayami suggested brightly, breaking through the tension. She gestured towards them with her bottle of alcohol before taking a long swallow. "I'm sure the good ol' goddess would appreciate our company."

"It's late," Naru said brusquely. "Ayami-san, Mai needs to be able to do her work tomorrow so you'll have to excuse me if –"

"Excused," Ayami cut in, shrugging. "Don't get all sensitive, Shibuya-san. I was just cracking a joke before."

Naru definitely didn't welcome the joke. Mai didn't think that she appreciated it that much either.

Naru looked over at her. "Mai, I need to talk to you."

Was that why he'd come to the West Wing? How had he known where she was anyway? Hearing what he'd said, Mai stood up quickly, rushing over to stand beside him. Without even casting a gaze towards her, Naru headed upstairs, not even looking back. Mai couldn't help but shot him a dirty look; it was as though he was confident that she would follow him, and unfortunately, she would.

"Mai," Ayami called out, just as Mai's foot protruded pass the frame of Ayami's door. Immediately, Mai turned back to look at the other girl, her face politely probing.

Ayami smiled. "What's been haunting your dreams of late?"

Mai frowned, not quite understanding Ayami's words. She looked back towards Naru blankly before her mind finally processed what the other girl was saying.

No…she couldn't have _known_ about the dream; there was no way.

Mai opened her mouth, ready to question the other girl. Ayami had already stood up, however, walking towards one of the doors at the end of her room. Frowning, Mai turned back towards Naru's direction reluctantly and she looked forward, realising that he hadn't even stopped to wait for her. She jogged a little bit in order to catch up to him

"What did she mean?" Naru pressed, as soon as they were out of earshot of the other girl. "Did you have another dream?"

Mai shook her head quickly. Then, when she realised that she'd just lied to Naru, she grimaced. Naru, correctly interpreting her hesitation, nodded.

"What happened in the dream?" he asked swiftly.

Trust him to not let it go. "Nothing much," she answered, her tone guarded. "I just saw Ayami and a boy around our age standing outside the manor."

Naru nodded, though she could tell that he wasn't quite buying it. Mai didn't understand herself why she was being so secretive, but a part of her didn't want Naru to think negatively of Ayami.

"Then why are you so wary?"

Was it time to tell him the truth? Something told Mai Naru wasn't going to shift until she told him exactly what she'd seen.

"The boy that was talking to Ayami–" Mai took a breath, not knowing how to place her sentence. Then, she opened her mouth and tried again. "I think the boy in my dreams actually _saw_ me." It sounded stupid, even to her, and then Mai knew that there was no way it could be true. She glanced appealingly towards Naru. "But that can't happen, can it?" Well, it couldn't happen in _her_ dreams, anyway.

Naru didn't reply. Instead, he continued gazing steadily at the hallway in front of them as they walked slowly back to their wing. "What else happened?"

So that _was_ possible? Mai gazed inquiringly at her boss, though his expression didn't betray any form of emotion. She frowned, answering his question. "Nothing much. He kind of just looked at me and I sort of woke up."

Naru didn't say anything but Mai could practically see his wheel of thoughts circulating in his mind. Although his face remained passive, it was quite obvious that Naru was thinking. Knowing that he didn't like sharing his thoughts with her too often (though it did immensely irritate her at times) Mai silently walked with him through the mansion.

Her pace was a little slower so she ended up walking behind him instead. While they walked, Mai's mind went back to Ayami. The girl was so peculiar, it was unnatural. Every time Mai saw her, she uncovered a different mask that this girl wore in her every day life. Mai had no idea which one of the faces were the true Ayami, but the girl had been nothing but kind to Mai. Even she, however, could not deny that Ayami was a mystery on her own.

One thing Mai felt for sure was that Ayami did not hold any malice towards anyone.

Mai voiced her thoughts to Naru, her tone sounding doubtful even to herself. "I don't think it has anything to do with Ayami, do you?"

Naru didn't say anything, though he did abruptly stop. Mai bumped into his back, not realising that he'd paused and she frowned as her face collided with his jacket.

"What was that for?" Mai muffled, rubbing her nose indignantly. He could have at least warned her that he was going to stop.

Naru turned around and looked down at her. His face frowned, almost though seeing her for the first time. Naru's gaze, ever so condescending, brushed by her entire body before stopping by an area near her throat. Mai blushed lightly as he reached out, brushing his fingers against the flannel of her pyjamas softly. Mai didn't want to look at his face, but it would be more than awkward if she turned away. Instead, she looked down and sighted his fingers on the blood that had dripped from the ghost's hand not an hour back. Her heart was still racing, but the intimacy of the gesture didn't seem to register with him.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, his tone as dispassionate as usual.

Naru's eyes bore into hers and Mai averted his gaze slightly, realising that she hadn't even mentioned the child. All that talk about Ayami had completely slipped the topic from her mind.

"A little girl appeared in my room," Mai murmured. "That's why I ran downstairs."

His frown was disapproving. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She swallowed, almost feeling guilty. "I guess I was scared. I think I need to get changed," Mai murmured, now trying to wipe the blood of the clothing with her bare hands. No matter how hard she scrubbed, the blood didn't seem to want to go anywhere.

Naru ignored her grievance. "Stay at base until tomorrow morning. I want you to stay with Lin and help him go through the files while I tend to something."

What? Mai paused on her scrubbing, looking up. She was dead tired, it was 3PM in the morning, and Naru was going to make her go on watch? Wasn't that a little cruel, even for him?

"And where are you going?" Mai asked, not being able to suppress the annoyance in her voice.

Naru's answer was short and curt. "Out."

* * *

12.07.2008: Sorry about the late update. I've beend doing too much shopping ;) Anyway, there was a little Naru/Mai in this chapter (well, alone, anyway) and I want to write more in the next, so yeah...Thanks for reading


	4. Telecommunications

**Chapter 4: Telecommunication**

* * *

By the time they'd settled down for breakfast the next morning, Mai was so sleepy, she found it hard to keep her eyes open.

The only other person that had stayed up as late as she had was Lin-san, and he didn't even look as though he'd been forced out of bed early. Mai had no idea how the man did it.

And there might have been Ayami too, but if the cheerful smile on her face could be believed, then it was obvious that their early morning talk had no effect on her whatsoever. Right now, she was even having a rapid conversation with John-san across the table, speaking in fluent English. Mai caught onto a few words that the pair exchanged, but at the moment, she was honestly far too sleepy to be able to comprehend what they were saying.

Next to her, Ayako and Bou-san were arguing about the tonight's American Football match while Masako silently ate breakfast, not looking up at anyone.

Mai yawned widely before remembering to cover her mouth. An outrageous ring tone sprang to life and Mai jumped, her heart skipping yet another beat as what sounded like angry, pulsing English swear words began filling the room. Everyone in the breakfast room was alarmed, their movements paused as they turned towards the source of the discriminating sound.

There was a tired sigh and Ayami, irritated, reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a cellular phone. Everyone else's interests dulled and they returned to their previous conversations.

Ayami's face was clearly that of exasperation. "Oh, Raidon. What do you want?" Immediately, the girl's livelihood was sucked out of her and cynicism seemed to take its place instead.

Mai perked up. Raidon, as in the owner of the house? She thought it had been her imagination last night, but Ayami certainly did seem a little hostile.

"Mai-chan! Oi! Mai-chan!"

Irritated, Mai turned towards the culprit of the disturbance, right as Ayami switched to another langage. "What?" she snapped, her sleepiness turning her aggravated.

Bou-san held his hands up defensively, his smile charming. "Do you know where Naru-bou is?"

Was it her, or did Masako turn peculiarly towards her then? Mai shook an enquiring gaze towards the other girl who at that moment, chose to ignore her with an indignant huff.

Okay…

"Mai-chan!"

Mai rolled her eyes. "I don't know, Bou-san. He left last night. Somehow." A thought struck Mai's mind. "Can Naru drive?"

Bou-san waved off her question. "Of course not," he dismissed. Then, he turned to Lin-san. "Can he?"

The senior assistant ignored the monk. Mai suppressed a smile when seeing the slight exasperation on Lin-san's face. Her attention wavered again and she focused more solidly on the conversation Ayami was having on the phone. The language, whatever it was, was eerily familiar. She didn't understand a word of what the other girl was saying but Mai was sure that she'd heard this language spoken before.

"Lin-san," Mai started, cutting rudely through the monk's speech, "what language is Ayami speaking in?"

The older assistant perked up. He seemed grateful that Mai had spared him from Bou-san and he turned slightly towards the Australian girl.

"It's Greek," Lin-san answered. His deep tone mentioned the fact easily, but there was a hidden observation involved with his comment. Mai had never found a problem in confiding with Lin-san. Sure, he might not always be the best conversationalist, but his advice was always welcomed.

Then, Mai realized when she had last heard the language. It was during the dream she'd had last night, when she had heard that person recite the incantation. Mai frowned.

"Are there spells in Greek?" Mai asked.

"I would assume that there are," Lin-san replied. "But I would think that most of them are related to the Greek deities, requesting their strength—"

The older assistant's speech paused and something close to realisation struck his expression.

Mai frowned again. "Lin-san? Is something wrong?"

Lin shook his head quickly. His stood up rather suddenly, his gaze peering pass her head to the window outside.

"Naru's back. I think I'll go see him."

Masako stood up abruptly. "I shall come with you, Lin-san, as I too have something to say to Naru."

Lin-san nodded briefly. As they left, Masako turned back to Mai and cast a reproachful glare. Mai blinked, startled by the sudden hostility the other girl evicted. The celebrity medium had never been overly friendly with her but this sort of antagonism was rare.

Mai frowned, turning around slightly to see the van park a fair distance from the building. She had no desire to go see Naru at the moment; not after her five hour shift at base. So instead, she sunk deeper into her chair and indulged in her breakfast.

"Wow, Masako was shooting serious death glares towards you," Bou-san said cheerfully.

Mai shrugged, partially used to Masako's hot and cold mood swings towards her. Mai took a bite of the toast in front of her, looking around. The room seemed rather empty, all of a sudden.

Frowning, Mai turned towards the manservant. "Touya-san, where's Ayami?"

Touya-san bowed first after being addressed and Mai nodded awkwardly back towards the man before he responded, "Taniyama-sama, Ayami-sama has left to participate in her morning schedule. If you needed to speak to my lady, I would be more than welcomed to pass on the message."

Mai shook her head quickly, though she did thank the manservant politely.

"Mai! Tea!"

What distance was that command from, anyway? Mai rolled her eyes, slightly wondering if she'd been hired to be Naru's personal maid or assistant. She had no idea where he was, but somehow, she'd been able to hear him clearly.

"Let me tend to that, Taniyama-sama," Touya-san said, quickly disappearing.

"Touya-san! I can do it!" Exhaling slightly, Mai ran after the manservant, not wanting to bother him with her chores. The manservant declined her offer, insisting that she return to her breakfast. Mai was finally shifted away from the working kitchen and pushed towards the hallway.

Then, she frowned, releasing that she had no idea what direction she needed to head in. The left looked familiar, so she assumed it was the correct way. Mai ventured slowly towards that side, hoping to soon meet another area that she found familiar.

About ten minutes later – and several turns later – she realised that she was hopelessly lost.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Mai sighed.

The distant sound of murmuring caught her sudden attention and Mai turned, frowning towards the only door at the end of this corridor. Her attention perked, she headed towards the room, waiting to stand outside the room as the murmuring continued. On the other side of the door, Mai was sure that she could hear chanting. There was a rapid dash of foreign language. Her attention perked, Mai moved closer to the door.

As Mai leant towards the door, however, it also fell open, startling her into losing her balance. Mai cried out in surprise as she fell towards another figure.

"I'm sorry!" Mai let out immediately, pushing herself up from the other figure. This was what she got for being nosy. "I am so, so sorry."

Crystal laughter responded to her apologies and Mai stopped, peaking up slightly. "Are you okay?"

Mai paused, unused to the lyrical sense in which the words were produced. Her eyes widened when she saw the middle-aged woman that was standing above her, smiling down in a motherly manner. The woman had the same, startling cerulean eyes as Ayami, with the same incredibly structured cheek-bones and porcelain skin. She dressed in a red and white flower printed kimono with her hair braided simply towards the back of her head. The woman smiled down at Mai, her expression ever so loving and Mai smiled back, irresistibly warmed towards the woman.

"Hello!" Mai let out, bowing her head quickly. "Do you live here too?"

The woman smiled, nodding lightly. "And you're Taniyama Mai, aren't you?"

Mai nodded brightly. Ayami must have mentioned her. "Just call me Mai!"

The woman nodded, her expression eternally serene. "Ayami seems to enjoy your company, Mai. Thank you for being so kind to her."

Mai shook her head. "Ayami is an amazing person. She's kind to me also, so naturally, I have to be friendly back to her."

The woman laughed again. "You're a very sweet girl." The woman reached out to pat Mai's hand, but when she did, Mai felt as though she'd been touched by icebergs.

"Mai!"

Mai turned quickly towards the direction of the door and she saw Ayami standing in the doorway.

"Ayami!" Mai let out, but before she could continue, the other girl cut into her speech.

"You saw her?" Ayami demanded, pacing into the room immediately.

Mai frowned. "Well, yes, she's just standing here—"

Mai turned back towards the direction she had originally been facing, only to see that the woman wasn't standing there anymore. Frowning, Mai looked around the now empty sitting room. There was another door, but she hadn't heard it open or close, so she didn't know how the woman had left.

"Did you touch her?" Ayami pressed impatiently.

Mai turned towards Ayami. "Well, I—"

"Listen to me, Mai. I need you to answer this one question for me. Did you come into actual physical contact with her?"

Mai frowned, wondering why Ayami's tone sounded so urgent. "I fell forward, and crashed into her when she opened the door—"

The look on Ayami's face was gravely serious. Not waiting for Mai to stop, she turned towards Touya-san – who had also seemingly materialise beside her – and nodded her head. The manservant –carrying a pot of tea on a tray – nodded to her in return and Ayami turned quickly back to Mai.

"Listen to me, Mai," Ayami began, holding onto her hand tightly. "If you see that woman again, run. Don't startle her, don't approach her; just run, okay? Either head to my room, or find Shibuya-san or Lin-san, okay?"

Mai's confusion deepened. "Why—"

"Don't ask me why. Just do as I say."

The girl smiled reassuring at Mai one more time, as Mai, in turn, frowned at her. What was Ayami going on about? Then, her eyes cast towards the door again and there Touya-san was standing, a hat on his head and scarf and coat in his hands. Mai wasn't even sure she remembered seeing him leave, but she now noted the tray that he'd held was sitting on the table by the side of the door.

Ayami walked towards Touya-san, ignoring the coat as she reached for the scarf instead. "Touya and I have to leave the manor for the day; we'll be back by tonight. Could you pass on this message to Shibuya-san and the others? You might have to drive out to buy your food; we don't allow the restaurants to deliver directly to the manor, but you can charge it on the manor's account. Just quote the address and they'll file the expenses under our name."

Mai nodded slightly, still not sure what had been going on. Where had the woman gone, and what had Ayami meant when she told Mai not to talk to her again? Ayami was suddenly acting all strange; did the woman have something to do with the case?

"Wait a minute—" Mai began.

Ayami turned back, just as she was about to leave the door, and smiled at Mai again. "I'll be back tonight. Don't wander too much around the house while we're gone. You might get lost."

And then, Mai was alone before she even realised it.

* * *

Still confused by this morning's events, Mai finally made it into base about half an hour later, having gotten lost after leaving the room again. She entered slowly, setting the lukewarm tea onto the table and sighed in relief when she saw that Naru wasn't here. At least he wasn't going to complain about the tea not being warm. She didn't think she could make it down to the kitchen and back this time.

"I don't trust her."

Ayako's voice echoed throughout the room as Mai inconspicuously slipt into base. Lin-san, as usual, was typing away at the keyboard, oblivious to the world. Mai saw Bou-san roll his eyes as John-san and Masako eyed them both, ready to be the commentators in this spectacle.

"She wasn't at all curious as to why we're investigating the house when we're clearly dealing with a demi-goddess upstairs," Ayako stated. "Doesn't that surprise you?"

"Well she did look as though she were in a bit of a rush to get somewhere," Bou-san pointed out.

"There's that fire in the living room that never goes out," Ayako added.

"It is cold, you know," Bou-san pointed out, "and its winter."

"There's also that art piece on display in one of the rooms of the library. It greatly resembles the photograph of Princess Amen-Ra's coffin that was taken in the 1890's." Mai didn't know who they were talking about, but she could tell through the heaviness of Ayako's tone that it was something rather significant.

Bou-san shrugged. "The owner could have gotten that off the internet. Even I've come across that picture a few times when surfing the net."

"Not this one," Ayako said, shaking her head. "In this one, the picture moves at certain times. I think it was the original taken during one of the first implementations of the curse."

Bou-san, however, wasn't moved by the argument. "Or you could have been seeing things. We all know how reliable Ayako's judgement can be."

"What?!" Ayako snarled, immediately respondent to the comment.

"And what do you think, Hara-san?"

Naru's voice suddenly skimmed into the room, and Mai turned over. She hadn't even realised that he was back, but there he was, standing next to Lin-san by the door.

Masako looked around the house, just for the added affect, before turning back to Naru, speaking softly, "There are signs of haunting in this manor, but I haven't actually seen any spirits manifest in this area. I think we're going to have to observe the area for a while longer if we want to know for sure."

Naru nodded, though his face didn't betray his thoughts. "Lin?"

Lin-san's fingers paused in their typing and he swung his swivel chair over to face Naru. "There are rapid alternations of temperature occurring all around the house. Only the Third Floor seems to be partial to this condition. And before, on the First Level, there was a room near the kitchen that's camera was suddenly cut off about half an hour back."

Her blood went cold at his words and Mai remembered back to where she had been at that time. Surely it couldn't be related, could it?

Mai couldn't help but frown. She didn't want to relate the temperature change to her personal experience; whenever she linked paranormal events to herself, it had always made her feel like an attention seeker. Instead, she asked another question that she had been wondering about for awhile. "I don't understand. If we already know what the problem is, why can't we just get rid of it? I mean, can't Bou-san or Ayako perform an exorcism or send her back?"

Everyone in the room – bar Lin, of course – turned over to her, but it was Naru who answered. "I want to know where this goddess came from. If my guesses are correct, then she is from the Mediterranean region. Why she's here is another issue in need of discussion, and we need to know how she was summoned here before we are able to successfully send her back."

Mai didn't know where the Mediterranean was, so she merely nodded. Naru seemed satisfied with that response, because he opened the file he was carrying and reread its contents.

"That fire that you said doesn't go out," Naru started, turning towards Ayako. "Was there a shrine near it?"

Ayako frowned and nodded. "I think so. Why?"

Naru didn't answer her. instead, he snapped shut the file he was holding. "I'll go see the shrine. Mai, come with me."

Mai nodded, standing up quickly. She grabbed her observations folder as Naru sped out of the door, ignoring everyone. As she went, Masoki huffed her and again, Mai was reminded of Masoki's glares in the morning. Not quite sure what the psychic was annoyed at this time, Mai ignored her and followed Naru out of the room.

About half way down the hall, Naru suddenly stopped. Frowning, Mai manoeuvred to stand in front of him, wondering what might have caused the delay. When she got beside him, he turned towards her too.

"Here," Naru said, holding out a small, black cell phone.

Mai blinked, not quite sure what Naru was getting at. "What's this for?" Mai asked

"You have a tendency to get yourself into trouble. If anything happens, use this phone to contact the others. I've already entered all the numbers in there already."

Mai stared at it dumbly, still not sure what was going on. Was Naru giving her a cell phone to use?

Her eyes peaked up towards her employer and she sighted an expression of slight exasperation on his face. He took her hand into his and set the phone onto her palm. "Don't lose it," Naru advised, "and keep it with you at all times."

"If anything happens, call me straight away."

Mai nodded, her mind still a little numb as she stared at the black instrument in her hand.

"I mean it, Mai," Naru emphasised.

That, it seemed, broke her out of her reverie. Mai looked up, not quite getting why he sounded even more serious than normal. "I know," she said, startled.

"Good," Naru said. "My number's on speed dial, so call 1 if anything goes wrong, okay?"

Mai nodded quickly. "Yup," she murmured. Quickly she slipt the phone back into her pocket, but she couldn't help the slight sense of euphoria that had risen in her body. She wasn't quite sure where this sudden bliss had come from, but it made her feel undeniably happy.

"Ayami-san said that it would be alright for you to wander around, didn't she?"

Mai's bubble burst almost immediately and she frowned, not bothering to question Naru's antics. Could he read minds or something? He was fast- she had to give him that. Ayami had just said this to her earlier this morning, yet he knew about it already.

"She said I could go if either Touya-san or she accompanied me. Ayami said that the house isn't very safe."

Naru nodded. He had the best poker face that Mai had ever come across and right now, he was using it again.

"Don't go with them anyway. Try not to be alone with Ayami-san for too long."

Her scowl deepened. "Why?"

He paused. For a moment, she thought he'd even not answer, but then he turned back towards the path they'd been walking in and finally spoke up.

"My instincts tell me that she's not quite what she appears." Mai almost ran to keep in pace with him, anxious to know what he had to say about Ayami. Had he noticed that something was strange about her too, or did he know something? Bou-san and the others seemed to have mixed opinions of her, but none of their thoughts seemed concrete. If Naru felt inclined to judge, however, to Mai, that was a different story.

"So you think something's different about her?" Mai asked.

"I know she's hiding a lot from us," Naru replied. "And I know that she knows a lot more about all this than she claims."

That wasn't a surprise, but Mai couldn't help but query Naru's stand on this. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Naru didn't stop walking, though what he did say next was something that surprised her greatly. "Did you know that Domjouji Ayami is a psychic?"

* * *

23.07.2008: Okay, so this was a pretty crappy chapter. LOL I'm not quite sure how it came to be about, but I know that the next one has a lot more action in it. shrugs. Anyway, thanks for reading. Again, the next one will be out in a week. But I resume uni now! It's so tragic...

Many thanks to: **ravyncat, Simplemoon, canadian violet **(I don't know if I was aiming for Ayami to be scary; I kind of looked at her and thought "ohh...let's make this one weird" but yeah, I was aiming to keep everyone in character, but it's just so hard to make Masako likeable...grrr), **Kay **(LOL glad you do. Thanks for reviewing ;), **yumegirl91, misskoneko, Gabryell-P-, lunamoongoddess, and Princess Irulan. **

* * *


	5. Vesta

**Chapter 5 Vesta**

A psychic.

Naru's words stopped Mai in her tracks and she stopped, her mind slipping into emptiness almost before she registered his words.

"A psychic?" Mai repeated numbly. Naru hadn't stopped, so Mai hurried after him to question him quickly. "You mean she has PK-LT or something?"

Her employer continued his pace calmly, his eyes looking right ahead as he went. "PK-LT is unlikely, though we're not quite sure what powers she holds."

Mai remembered back to her dream last night and how Ayami had known about the ghost. Was she a telepath or clairvoyant? If that was what Naru meant, then Mai had already witnessed her abilities. The Naru in her dreams had told Mai that Ayami wasn't quite as she seemed, but he hadn't mentioned her being a psychic.

"You don't seem too surprised," Naru commented. She turned towards her and realised that he'd been watching her expression.

Mai shook her head, plastering a smile on her face. It was probably too early to share her thoughts yet. "Why do you say Ayami's a psychic?" Mai asked.

Naru held the door opened for Mai, allowing her to pass through first and she realised that they'd reached their destination. "The Goddess was openly cursing her in the attic in Greek, though Domjouji-san wouldn't respond to it."

"How do you know the goddess didn't have her mistaken for someone else?"

"Throughout our time in the attic, she was looking only at Ayami. And besides that, I have my reasons. Why did you suspect that Ayami is psychic?"

That was just like Naru; he wouldn't tell her his reason, but she had to tell him her reason. She supposed he was her employer, though, so she really shouldn't be so bitter.

"Well, she just seems to _know_ things," Mai replied slowly. "So I thought she had latent sensitivity or maybe she was clairvoyant. And she said that this house doesn't like visitors."

Naru didn't reply. Mai snuck another look at him and saw that he didn't appear to be listening. Instead, he seemed distracted by something in front of them so she instead turned towards their front and her eyes widened.

A glorious room faced her now and Mai wondered as to how she could have ever missed it. The room was windowless, but hundreds gold and white candles ran over the wall, illuminating the entire area. At the far end, there was a massive fireplace that took up about half the wall, its fire burning brightly with red and yellow flames, yet strangely, did not crackle. Right in the centre of the room, only meters away from Mai and Naru, were a set of shelves, topped by the image of a single woman. Shivers ran down Mai spin as she turned towards the ceiling. Pressed against the roof was the skeleton of a horse-looking creature. The bones had been painted black and were itched right into the wall.

This didn't look like a shrine. It looked more like an extract out of a cult's home.

Naru took a step forward and Mai hastened to follow him. He moved until he was directly in front of the portrait in the middle of the room and merely stared at the art.

Mai leant closer to the woman's portrait. The woman was astoundingly beautiful, though she couldn't help but feel a little perplexed with the picture. There was something about this woman that just didn't seem natural.

Mai frowned. "She looks…Greek?"

"She's Roman," Naru corrected. Because there was just so much of a difference. Romans. Greeks. They both came from the same country…or was that continent?

"Why's there a memorial?" Mai asked. Mai frowned, trying to concentrate her eyes on the picture. "Is this of someone who died?"

"No, it's a shrine dedicated to the Roman goddess Vesta."

Mai frowned. "Who is she?"

"The Roman patron goddess of families and fire," Naru murmured, still keeping his eyes on the picture. "She was a little discarded after the Romans dissuaded from the belief of Olympus Gods and were instead swayed towards Christianity. The Vestal Virgins, the only women in Rome with any political power, were disbanded."

Mai looked towards the picture, slightly impressed. she didn't study history often, but she knew that there weren't many women who held political power in the past.

"This is a rather extraordinary picture, actually," Naru replied. "And it seems as though Domjouji-san is a rather keen worshiper of this religion."

"The house isn't hers," Mai reminded him. "It belongs to her friend."

"There is that too," Naru mused, though he didn't elaborate any further.

Mai shook her head, still gazing around the room. This house was amazing. So many strange things had happened in it, and Mai wondered if the manor had always been like this, or was it only like this now that there were guests residing in it? She didn't know, but in a way, she also hoped she never found out.

* * *

_Day 5_

Two days later, Ayami still hadn't come home. Naru had become suspicious of her actions, so Mai, who seemed to be the only person Ayami had conversed with, had been assigned the job of looking out for her. It had actually been Masako herself who'd volunteered Mai for the job. Mai had a feeling, however, that it was just because Masako wanted Mai out of the room. When Bou-san had asked why they didn't just have Mai watch the camera that overlooked the front door, Masako had ranted on about how they needed to confront Ayami earlier on and Mai was the only one Ayami seemed to accept.

Mai sighed, collapsing against the couch that she had been sitting on by the foyer. After they'd left Vesta's room, they'd met as a group and she'd had to head down the stairs an hour later to wait for Ayami until about 8PM at night. The next morning, at 8AM, Mai had returned to the spot, only this time, Naru had assigned her paperwork to look over as she sat there. And today, on the third day of this, Mai was not only assigned paperwork, but she'd also been given a laptop, so that she could moderate the temperatures on the First Floor.

"Help!"

Mai perked up immediately, her mind picking up on the other source of life. She stood up quickly, looking from left to right for the source of the sound. Mai had learnt her lesson already; until she actually _saw _the person and identified them as human, there was no way she was going to run blindly out to help them. Sometimes she felt stupid for falling for it every time, but if they needed help it wasn't as though she could leave them and run off.

"Please, help me! Is anyone out there?"

Okay, there was no denying that. Mai frowned, heading towards the inner pathway, opposite to the entrance.

"Please help me!" the child whimpered. A little girl? Mai wasn't sure, but she could tell that the child was nearby.

"Is anybody there?"

Oh, boy. Bou-san was going to kill her if she wandered off on her own again. Mai reached into her pocket, then sighed again as she realised that she'd left her cell at base. The calls continued and she quire easily located the source of the noise, which turned out to be just by a sitting room that she wasn't aware existed.

Mai reached her hand out towards the door, sure that the child would be on the other end. Just as her fingers brushed by the cold handle, she felt someone touch her shoulder.

Mai jumped as her heart thrashed wildly. She just managed to turn around when she heard a rather aggravated cry of her name.

"_Mai_," Naru said, placing a rather heavy stress on the end of her name.

"Naru!" Mai breathed. She rubbed her chest, trying to ease the thudding.

Naru didn't look impressed. "What is the point of giving you a cell phone if you never bring it along with you?" Naru asked.

Mai gulped. He did look annoyed. It couldn't just be over her carelessness, could it? Surely there was another reason for it. "Is the case not going according to plan?"

Naru just stared at her, almost as though he were exasperated. Then, he seemingly let it go as he nodded towards the door she was standing in front of. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Mai gestured behind her. "I think I hear someone down there. She sounds like a little girl. I think she needs my help."

He just stared at her. Mai knew what she was thinking and she couldn't help but feel just a touch insulted. Naru was no doubt remembering back to her previous encounters with the spirits that had lured her by calling out for her help.

"I wasn't going to go in there until I was sure that it was another human," Mai said, immediately defending herself. When he rolled his eyes – rather dryly, might she add – Mai ignored him, pushing to open the handle again. When she opened the door, Mai uttered a scream and scrambled back immediately.

The thing on the other side of the door wasn't furniture; it was boxes of stacked up against the wall. Right in the centre of the room, however, was a little boy, his head hanging from a rope that extended from the ceiling. The irregular bend of his neck told Mai that it was broken from the fall. His feet hung limply from his body, and his eyes were wide and blank.

"Oh, god," Mai breathed, her mind numb with shock. A little girl suddenly appeared right at the door. The little six or seven year old girl was smiling, her eyes dead as she looked up at Mai innocently. She dressed in her kimono still, and was the same girl that Mai had met on her first night here.

"He likes to hang her head like that," the girl informed Mai, smiling brightly. The child reached her hands out towards them, blood dripping from her fingers, like how it had the other night. "Did you want to try it too?"

Mai shuddered again, her mind terminally horrified as the child's dingers came closer and closer to her, and then suddenly, Naru pushed Mai behind him. Mai blinked, her horror slightly dimmed as she remembered that she wasn't alone, though Naru probably wasn't in much of a better position than her. He might be more powerful than her, but it wasn't as though he could use his powers without weakening his own body.

Then, the door suddenly snapped shut in front of them and Mai heard the other side of the door click.

Naru's eyes immediately snapped to the right and he turned over, somehow doing so with Mai still behind him.

Just two meters away was Ayami, her face flustered from the snow. She was still wearing the same clothes as three days ago and she looked dead tired. The sharpness in her expression though, was undeniable.

"This door was locked before I left. How did you guys get it open?"

Naru didn't say anything and Mai hoped that he wasn't being hostile. Her heart still drumming in her throat, Mai gestured as casually as she could to the door.

"I thought I heard someone so I went by the room—"

"Say no more," Ayami cut in. "I know exactly what is going on." Ayami shook her head in disgust. "Well, that's certainly typical of him, the bastard." Mai didn't know who she was talking about, but she had a feeling it might be the houseowner. "It's probably best not to wander off on your own. This house doesn't like intruders."

Ayami gestured towards one of the doors along the hallway and creepily enough, it seemingly crawled open on its own, almost as though heeding to Ayami's words.

Mai's eyes widened to the size of coins as she took a light step back. Oh, god.

"Calm down, Mai," Naru ordered sharply.

"I was going to go shopping later on," Ayami continued, as though they were speaking of the most casual thing on Earth. "Did you want to come along?"

Mai's eyes darted back towards Ayami almost fearfully. For the first time, she realised just how dangerous her new friend could be. How could anyone see all of that, know all of that, and still be so deathly calm about it? To Ayami, all of this seemed to be of daily occurrence.

Ayami must have noted the look on Mai's face, because her expression fell. Something, almost close to melancholy, passed through her expression before she smiled wryly.

Naru hadn't said anything, but he didn't seem too impressed by Ayami. Amusement passed through Ayami's face when she looked towards Mai's employer, and just as Mai was about to speak, Ayami opened her mouth again.

"I'll meet you down at the swings in an hour," Ayami said, when Naru turned towards her, seemingly passive, Ayami smirked. The expression on her face was so different to that which Mai was used to seeing that she paused. "I'm not talking to you, Naru-chan. I don't find the need to explain myself to anyone but Mai here."

"And why would you need to explain yourself to Mai?" Naru countered.

"Why? Would you come along and protect her?" Ayami asked. The other girl's amusement faded from her face and she shook her head. "You can't protect her always, Shibuya Kazuya. And I doubt you told her just how dangerous this world was when she signed up for it."

Naru didn't seem impressed by Ayami's statement, but Mau frowned. How had the argument become about her suddenly?

Her boss did, however, scowl. "And you didn't tell us just how dangerous _this _task was when you requested us to do it. You've led us to so many dead ends when you know exactly how to solve the problem."

"Well then I guess I'm doing to you what you did to her."

"I haven't lied to Mai."

"Really? Then I haven't lied to you. An omission of the truth is hardly a lie now, is it?" Ayami shrugged, and Mai was completely lost in their quarrel. "But then again, at least the name I use in front of you all is my true one. I can't say the honours returned by you, _Shibuya-san_."

* * *

Mai sat on the swing outside Ayami's manor, her mind still processing the conversation that had occurred earlier this morning. Ayami's expression, Naru's words, the alter of Vesta, and even worse, the little girl; her thoughts were completely consumed by the events within the manor. Everything about this case was turning out differently to what Mai had expected. Ayami definitely wasn't who Mai suspected her to be; the ease to which she switched her attitudes told Mai that Ayami was much used to displaying various faces to the same world. It was hard to believe that someone like Ayami could have been the sweet, friendly girl that had made her appearance at the SPR office just a week back.

Naru seemed to dislike this scenario immensely too, if he'd actually gone to the trouble of quarrelling with a client. Mai didn't know why he didn't just drop off the case. Normally, when he didn't like something, he could be rather ultimate about it. With this, however…

Sighing, Mai put the thoughts behind her. She swung higher on the swings, trying to see if the wind would stop the many thoughts jumping through her mind.

It didn't.

Mai let out a breath, now slowing the pressure of her swings so that she could allow her feet to catch the floor. Just as the soles of her shoes pressed against the floor, she felt someone touch against the small of her back, violently pushing her into the air once again.

Mai screamed, clutching onto the chains immediately. If this was Bou-san or Ayako's idea of a joke, then she wasn't impressed. The swing swung towards ground level again and Mai felt someone pushing her again, this time, much more lightly.

"Stop it!" Mai snapped. She twisted her body to see who was behind her, ready to voice her disapproval.

Her heart sunk when she saw that no one was there.

Again, she swung down, and yet again, she was pushed right back up. Whenever she turned around, there was no one on the other side.

Then, suddenly, Ayami appeared, right beside the swings. Mai saw the other girl's widened eyes as she took in the scene

"Mai! Stop moving!"

"I'm not doing anything," Mai screamed, clutching on for dear life.

The swings abruptly stopped, throwing Mai off the set at an alarming speed. She felt someone tug onto her arm, diverting her passage, and she landed right next to the slide instead of onto it.

Mai's eyes immediately snapped back to Ayami. From a distance, she thought she saw Masako, Bou-san and Yasaharu-san too, but the malice in Ayami's eyes was the only thing that Mai could see at that moment.

Ayami circled the swing set once, her eyes not even darting to Mai's direction, before she finally stopped right in front of the swings. Right then, a strange light seemed to flash right there, and an elderly grandmother appeared before them.

Horrified, Mai stared, not quite believing what she saw.

Ayami's lips curved to form a smile that didn't at all reach her eyes. "_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica, in nomine et virtute Domini Nostri Jesu _

"_Christi, eradicare et effugare a Dei Ecclesia, ab animabus ad imaginem Dei conditis ac pretioso divini Agni sanguine redemptis... _

On and on the passage went. Ayami's face was completely expressionless and she continued to recite the passage in a foreign language. The woman screeched as Ayami spoke, her face contorted as though she were in true pain.

"…_Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine._

_Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos._

_Ut inimicos sanctæ Ecclesiæ humiliare digneris, te rogamus audi nos._

_Et aspergatur locus aqua benedicta_

The elder screamed one last time, her horror echoing throughout the entire playground. Then, the Earth seemed to open up beneath them, dragging the woman down with it.

By the end of it all, Mai was terrified, her mind barely processing what had just happened. Mai felt her feet move slightly and realised that she was now standing on her feet, having had been helped up by Ayami. Not two meters away from them was Bou-san, Yasaharu-san and Masako.

Smiling in a friendly manner, Ayami turned over to her. "You are a ghost-magnet," Ayami told her. Mai's heart was still racing at an incredible pace.

Then, calmly and serenely, Ayami turned towards the others. Bou-san was wary, Yasuharu-san politely confused, and Masako suspicious.

Ayami smirked. "Nothing to say?" she challenged.

Masako raised her sleeve towards her face, covering her mouth as she spoke.

Then, very softly, she said, "I think you have some explaining to do Domjouji-san."

* * *

_Credits for the Latin passage goes to _Sanctuary_. _

31 July 2008: Yay! Another chapter. Sorry this one took awhile longer. I have no idea when the next chapter is going to be up; I haven't even started it yet. But yeah, we're learning more about Ayami now. So yeah...

Many thanks to: **Gabrylle-P, canadian violet **(yes, well, you probably got the cell phone thing with Mai right. She doesn't bother carrying it along with her. I'm not sure why Naru gives her that anyway; apparently ghost can interfere with tech stuff, remember?), **ravyncat, lunamoongoddess, Kay **(hey, thanks for reviewing, as per usual. I'm glad you like the story), **yumigirl91.**


	6. Blue Blood

**Chapter 6 Blue Blood**

Mai sat herself down at Ayami's dinner table, just as the owner sat at the head. Mai was about a seat away from Ayami, but the arrogance in Ayami's posture startled her greatly. This person wasn't like the same sweet, friendly girl that Mai had met just a week ago. Across from Mai, Naru stared directly at Ayami, his face emotionless – as usual. Lin-san sat beside Naru and Yasuhara-san beside Mai. Ayako, Bou-san, John-san, and Masako aligned themselves towards the end more, so Mai didn't pay too much attention to them. Everyone seemed just a little reluctant to come closer to Ayami, and even she didn't speak until Touya-san had sat tea in front of everyone except Ayami. For Ayami, he set a bottle of vodka.

"Is this all I get?" Ayami asked patiently, her eyes boring into Touya-san's. The manservant leant down towards her, whispering something in her ear and Ayami rolled her eyes. With the familiarity of someone who had obviously done this a few times already, Ayami popped open her bottle.

"So, you caught me out." She tossed the bottle lid onto the table and balanced the vodka between three fingers. "Are there any questions you want to ask or should I have my say and go?"

Naru didn't appreciate her words. Nor did he seem to take any of it into consideration. Mai remembered how Ayami had once told her that the other girl would answer any questions Mai had for her. Mai wondered of that still applied now.

Yasuhara-san didn't seem to know much about Ayami – then again, none of them probably did – because he smiled brightly and suggested, "Why don't you tell us your story first, and if we have anything more we need to know about, we'll ask you?"

Ayami shook her head. "No, that's not how I play. You can either ask me questions, and I shall – if I believe necessary – answer them honestly, or you can sit their idly while _I_ talk. I don't do both."

"We'll ask questions then," Naru told her.

"Excellent," Ayami smiled. "That gives me time to finish my vodka. Normally, I give the other person 5 questions they can ask me. Since you people are so bright, having had discovered my ploy so early on, I give you 10."

"How gracious of you," Naru said dryly.

Ayami shrugged, clearly ignoring his sarcasm. "I try."

"Then you won't mind if we theorise first amongst ourselves?"

"It's okay. You're talking about me anyway. Just say it in front of me. I don't mind."

Yasuhara-san coughed. It was obvious that they'd expected Ayami to leave the room for awhile. Mai had thought she would too, but then she realised that she should have known better. Ayami wasn't quite the type to hide from something just because it _might_ place her in an awkward situation.

"Mai, Mai!"

Mai's mind snapped back to reality and she darted her gaze towards Ayako, who had been calling out to her.

"What's wrong with you, Mai? You're not concentrating at all?"

The rest were looking at her too, including Ayami, who had something in her eyes that stretched towards sympathy almost. The hardness of her expression seemed to fade, but it was only for a moment, because when Touya-san came back into the room, her arrogant posture returned.

Yasuhara-san coughed again. "Well, after Shibuya-san called me, I did a bit of research. Apparently this manor has been around for almost three hundred years, and has been refurbished countless times to blend into the modern era. It apparently belongs to one Mimisaki Raidon, a billionaire whose main investments reside in the hotel and tourism industry."

Billionaire? Mai's eyes widened. How many zeroes did you need to have at the end of your account to be a billionaire?

"I assure you," Ayami said, leaning towards Mai as she read Mai's expression. "He's overrated. What he has was mainly left back by his ancestors."

Mai blinked. Ayami nodded back towards the others and Mai turned back. They seemed to have missed her exchange with Ayami because they hadn't seemed to have stopped at all. Now, they were onto Ayami's identity.

"Mimisaki had a childhood friend whose name was Ayami. Her family, in the past, had been accused of various things, all in which related specifically to witchcraft and the dark arts. I looked up the Domjouji family and found out that when a gypsy clan had scorned a member of the family, the entire population within had died in one night. On the neck of the villagers were rope-like marks. A traveller who had stayed the night claimed that a woman had raged through the tribes, strangling everyone with her long hair. They called her a demon."

Yasuhara-san paused and the others were quiet. Mai's eyes itched towards Ayami, who had raised her almost empty bottle of vodka into the air in cheers. "God Bless Caecelia. She's always been friendly, that one." Then, she took one final swing of her drink and drained it until there were only drops left inside the bottle. After that, she humbly dropped the bottle on the table and stood up. It seemed as though she'd gotten a little impatient with their bantering, and had decided to end it all.

"Let me say it for you then, since you seem to have a little bit of trouble getting it out." Ayami's eyes snapped over towards the rest of them. "I am what people these days have proficiently termed _witch._ I can cast spells; I can heal people; I can communicate with greater beings in order to see into the future or borrow their strength. I even have a few familiars with me, something you people would probably term as _shikigami_." Ayami leant forward against the table, her eyes challenging as before she sank back onto her chair elegantly. "Ask your questions, please. I'm bored now, seeing as I've ran out of alcohol."

Masako huffed. Mai shot her an annoyed look. Masako seemed judgemental of Ayami's err…habit? The others didn't seem to have missed Masako's expression, and Ayami didn't at all let it go when she sighted it.

"Oh, please, Hara-san," Ayami smirked. "Don't give me that. If you've seen half the things that I have, you'd need more than alcohol to get through your days." Then, she shrugged. "Besides, it tastes good. And I wouldn't give it up. I like what I have."

"So you like being a witch?" John-san asked. He, as a Catholic, no doubt objected to the worship of Satan. "You've sold your soul to the Devil."

"As opposed to being a Ghost Hunter who can't do anything that doesn't involve a paranormal spirit?" Ayami rolled her eyes. "I'd rather have my own powers, thanks. And it's not Lucifer that I worship; I said that I am what people term as witch – it doesn't mean I'm the typical ride-on-the-broomstick type. Besides, if I must survive in a world, I would rather stand at the very top of the food chain. And just to add to it, I'll count that as question number one, thank you."

Ayako frowned at Ayami. "It's _work, _not _world_, girl."

Ayami gave the older woman an almost pitying stare. "Is that what you think? I beg to differ. We are surrounded by completely different entities to everyone else. What we have is not an occupational hazard; we may live around the same area as everyone else, but what we know and see is unusual."

Naru's eyes bore into Ayami's. "Spirit manifestations are a part of everyday lives. There aren't many worlds, Domjouji-san; its people like you who insist that we live in alternate dimensions."

"So you would walk down the streets to a random person and tell them that there was a spirit next to them if there was?" Ayami smirked. "Don't be silly. You'd no doubt be locked in an asylum, if they haven't already tried already because of your terribly anti-social nature."

Bou-san and Yasuhara-san coughed. Mai suppressed a smile. Despite the mishap, Mai still couldn't help but be amused by the other girl's humour.

Ayako was frowning. "You said that you're a witch, but witches can't summon gods like that. I thought they could only call on demons."

"So you're insinuating that _I _was the one that had summoned our buddy in the attic? We'll call this number two. But where did you get those facts from, wikipedia?" Ayami rolled her eyes.

Bou-san had sobered by now. "You're not just a witch, are you?" Bou-san frowned at Ayami. "Back in the days, there were a lot of blue-blood psychics. A lot of them died out during the Witch Crusades in England, but the most power of the families managed to survive. There are about three clans left now, and everyone in their families are incredibly powerful psychics."

Mai's eyes snapped towards Ayami. Blue-blood psychic? That would mean that her entire family had powers like she did. Mai had seen so many anime and read so many manga where the families with people holding the power seemed to be more powerful than the rest. Was that why Ayami was seemingly stronger than most?

Ayami, however, was looking at Bou-san as though she was rather impressed. Clearly, she hadn't expected the answer to come from him.

"I couldn't piece it together at first, but one of the few remaining clans originated from the Aegean. Their powers relate to that of the Mediterranean Gods. The Celts, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans; this clan had links to all major pantheon groups in the Aegean region, stretching as far as the Anatolian region." Bou-san's expression was thoughtful. "If you could summon a Greek Goddess to this area, you'd have to be from that region too, wouldn't you?"

"Three. I admit; I had misjudged you, didn't I?" Ayami looked around the group again. "And here I thought the only person that would have come even close to guessing my identity would be Shibuya Kazuya. But to answer your question, yes." Smile. "I am a member of a blue-blooded psychic family. And my ancestors are from the region that you named. And yes, I was also the one that had summoned the Goddess in the first place."

There was a significant pause and Mai's mind went completely blank. Ayami summoned the Goddess? But if she did that, why had she asked _S.P.R _to come and get rid of her? Naru had been oddly pensive during the conversation, Mai noted. He seemed to be watching everyone's reactions instead. Ayami didn't seem to notice Naru's contemplativeness, because when he spoke, Ayami's face told Mai that she had underestimated them for awhile now.

Naru shut the book in his hands with a simple snap. "So are you going to send the goddess back?"

"Is that question number four?" She shook her head no at her question. "No, see – that's what I'm paying _you_ for."

Ayami's smile was challenging, amused, and cocky all in one as she eyed the people within the room. She didn't turn towards Mai with that expression, but everyone from Naru to Masako held her gaze for at least one second as she scrutinised them in such a manner.

"Domjouji-san—"

Ayami interjected, not allowing Naru to continue. "The Goddess in which I summoned was not Demeter, the Goddess of Fertility. In this country, so far away from the Temple of Olympus, no one could summon a God of that power unless they held a direct medallion of that deity and were a keen worshipper. And a keen worshipper would not trap the said goddess in the attic, nor _could _she." Ayami took a light sip of her wine. As usual she took the swing right out of the bottle. "The _demi-goddess_ in the attic would be Eleusis, an attendee of Demeter. She's all but a glorified priestess, so you don't have to worry so much about that one."

Masako huffed. "If you're as strong as you claim, why don't you send her back yourself, Domjouji-san?"

"Five. I like the collect information on all cultures around the world. How they banish their spirits, deal with their psychics et cetera, et cetera. I'd like to see how you fare when something beyond your genre pops up."

"You want us to send a demi-goddess back to Greece through spells and rituals?" John-san's incredulity was blatant.

"Think of the airfare fees that we'd be saving. But be careful what you ask. I counted your scepticism as yet another query. That was number six."

Naru lifted his head again. "I have something I want to ask. The only family I know that is supposedly like yours is the Ramirez Family, and they're involved with cults and Gothic tributes. Apparently they originated from the South-American cultures. Are you related to them?"

Again, Bou-san nodded. Mai blinked in surprise at him. She had never known Bou-san to know that much about spiritual details, but then again, it wasn't as though she knew his age either.

Blinking, she realised that Bou-san was talking. "—Europeans accused psychics for bringing forth the Black Plague during the Burning Times so the predecessors of the Ramirez Family cursed that plague into Europe, which in turn took down 50 of Europe's population, which was almost 100 million at the time."

Ayami nodded and sighed as though she were being nostalgic. "The Ramirez Family. If you ever get to meet the Head of their Clan, tell him that Ayami sends her regards. Hopefully the next time we meet, he won't try to slide a knife through my ribs again."

"And yes," Ayami continued, her eyes suddenly turning towards Ayako. "I do very much like the sound of my own voice." When the priestess's eyes widened and Mai frowned, Ayami shrugged. "Being a psychic has its charms, and in my case, telepathy is one of my abilities."

Masako didn't seem appeased by Ayami's statement, and honestly, neither was Mai. "If you know what we think, then why are you still like this?"

"Seven. Because I have telepathy, not empathy. I don't care how you feel; it's what you think that's got me." Ayami turned to John-san. "And yes, returning a deity to her origins can be dangerous. If you don't have the right powers for it, you can't do it."

"It would be more than easy for us to pack up and leave," Naru pointed out.

"Same here," Ayami laughed. "And if I do, then the demi-goddess in the attic is set loose. You must know that I don't actually _need_ to send her back. After all, I live overseas. If the demi-goddess is let out and she kills everyone randomly, what can we do?"

Mai stared at her, almost not believing what she was hearing. That was so utterly and undeniable irresponsible of Ayami to say that. The job was clearly dangerous, yet she didn't seem to mind if someone else did it. She was trying to push all responsibility onto everyone else.

Ayami turned towards Mai as though she'd read Mai's thoughts. Her face sobered. "Don't look at me like that, Mai. I was born into this world. I might be a bitch, but I will always be your friend."

At that, Mai shook her head, not quite understanding the other girl. "You're nice to me, yet you're not even kind to them. I don't understand. You're not a bad person; you know this is your responsibility. Why do you do this?"

Ayami stared at her and for a moment, Mai thought that she may have pushed their friendship too far. Had she said too much? Or was there more to the story than that? Mai continued to look back at her, and she had a feeling that if she gave up first, Ayami's answer to all of this would be different.

Finally, Ayami nodded, and the arrogance in her expression had faded. She looked just like the Ayami that Mai had met just a week ago. "Fine. Like you say, Mai, it's my mess. I'll deal with it on my own." Her eyes snapped to Naru. "Seeing as I am providing you a cheque that stretches to four digits before the point dot, I'd like to borrow two of your employees."

"And why should we have to help clean up your mess?" Ayako demanded.

"Eight. I am more than capable of doing this on my own. But like you believe, I am a schema. I want someone to accompany me on my way down, if that is where I am heading."

Naru ignored the challenge in Ayami's words as he looked down at her. He, Mai could tell, was not impressed, but he knew that there probably wasn't any other way out of this.

"And who do you choose to accompany you for this then?"

Bou-san, from where he sat, eyed Ayami wryly, and he spoke before she could count the number of queries they were on. "Nine questions now. It'd better not be Mai that you're going for," he warned her.

"No, not Mai. I like Mai." Ayami's eyes skimmed towards the outer area and her smile – the one that made her eyes show malice and arrogance, slid towards the rest of the people in the room, and then rested on Naru again. "You, however. I don't like you. Or anyone else in the room, really." She shrugged. "Feel free to debate amongst yourselves as to who shall be my other two victims."

The girl stood up in an incredibly languid manner. She was almost like a contented cat after its meal, only the glimmer of compassion in Ayami's brown eyes strangely calm an went, unlike everything else.

"And will you look at that. You people made it one hour into the session, and you still have one spare question to go. Lucky for you people, I do rainchecks."

* * *

06.08.08: The 8th of the 8th of year 2008. How awesome is that? The truth is, I wanted to update on that date, but then I figured that I'd never updated BEFORE the time that I'd say that I had, so maybe I should try that for a change. Anyway, the point is, this chapter didn't take as long as I thought it would, but then Ayami constantly blabbering was a bit hard to write, admittedly. Oh wells...don't worry; you won't see that much of her after this segment. Though I enjoy writing her, I must admit that Ayami has one of those overbearing presences. She kind of just screams for attention, in comparison to a lot of other characters.

Many thanks to: **killbethy, Simplemoon, Gabryell-P, canadian violet **(lol it explains in this chapter why Ayami uses the term world and not work. Of course, Naru contradicts this and they kind of argue back. He let her win this time, but if he wasn't trying to extract info from her, I don't think Ayami would have conquered quite so easily), **yumegirl91, lunamoongoddess, Simply Christine, zeroseconds.**


	7. All about Me

**Chapter 7 All about Me**

Mai knocked on the door of Ayami's room, just an hour before the ritual in the attic. It had been awhile since Mai had felt this awkward around anyone but Naru, but there were some things about Ayami that Mai just wanted to know of, and she had a feeling that if she were to wait too long to ask Ayami about it, something irreversible may happen during the gap. Their talk hours back had not been an overly friendly one yet Ayami had relinquished so easily when Mai spoke.

And something else had touched her mind too, just as Ayami had ascended the stairs. Why had she been so cooperative? Ayami had lied to them for that long, done so much, yet in the end, she'd so easily agreed to what they asked?

Maybe it was her latent sensitivity that had told her – that Mai didn't know – but she could tell that Ayami wasn't a bad person. She wasn't someone that could hurt another human being. The girl had appeared so incredibly lonely when the meeting had ended that Mai had felt an ache in her heart. The look hadn't lasted long, but still, something told Mai that Ayami didn't have many sides to her because she wanted to; she was like this so that she could hide her true self away from the world.

She wasn't quite sure what she was doing here, really, but Mai just wanted to talk to Ayami, even if it was just for a short amount of time.

The doors slipped open just a notch, and Touya-san slipped out from between the gaps. Nervously, Mai took a hurried step back, avoiding the elder as he amazingly balanced a tray of uneaten lunch with one hand and closed the door with the other. She smiled awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say to the man now. They had just finished interrogating the main resident of the home, after all. What did Touya-san think of them now?

The manservant, however, merely beamed when he saw Mai and she felt incredibly guilty of her uncertainty. He normally wasn't so happy when he saw her so Mai also had a feeling that something was up.

"Taniyama-sama. Ayami-sama is just inside. She's speaking on the phone at the moment, but I'm sure she won't mind you being there though."

Mai shook her head politely. "If she's on the phone, I don't mind waiting outside."

The man shook his head insistently. "No, no, Taniyama-sama. Ayami-sama would be most unimpressed if I let you stand outside and wait. He opened the door again with a single hand. "Please, go inside and wait for my lady. I am sure that she is almost finished."

Mai smiled weakly, declining the offer again. After the manservant's persistent insistency, Mai finally pushed her way into the room. The size of Ayami's room amazed her still, and in the evening light, it appeared even larger than it had a few nights ago. The lounge was still apparent, clean and glittering almost as wind rushed in from the balcony that's doors Ayami had left open. In the further corner, opposite of her four-poster bed, Ayami was sitting by a glassed study desk; her elbows leant against the table as she spoke in a language that Mai didn't understand. She didn't hold onto the phone or anything, and was actually leaning against the chair, balancing a glass of water in her hands. The phone was probably on speaker, because Mai couldn't see any earphone pieces sticking from Ayami's ears.

The girl smiled when she saw Mai, which was a relief to her, as Mai thought that she'd already ruined the friendship between them, though Mai could see that Ayami was in a black mood. Whoever it was that was replying to what Ayami had said in that same language, clearly didn't impress the other girl.

"—why do you persistently use a different language with me every time we talk?" Ayami demanded, setting the water onto the desk. For once, she was actually speaking Japanese, and Mai could understand her quite clearly. "We grew up speaking eleven languages. It doesn't mean that we actually have to use them."

_Eleven languages? _Mai kept her expression composed, trying to make it look as though she wasn't eavesdropping.

"Then why did you just switch from Sumerian to Japanese?" the voice on the other side had finally switched to a language that Mai too understood, thankfully. Mai could hear flawless Japanese from the speaker, hindered only by occasional static that told Mai that this person was probably in a rural area. The voice was sophisticated, and that of a young males. The casual arrogance in it reminded Mai slightly of Naru, actually. "Is someone else in the room?"

Ayami snorted, though her eyes did fleet towards Mai for a moment. "You should know, shouldn't you? Don't you have someone here waiting to report back to you when I so much as sneeze?"

"Well Touya no doubt let her in because he's afraid you'll break something in anger after my conversation with you. So it's the brown haired girl that you think—"

Ayami and Mai's eyes widened. Horrified, Mai cast a look around the room, just to make sure that they were the only two people in here. Ayami, however, was already snapping into the phone. "You bastard. You have people following me again, don't you?" Ayami demanded.

Mai could practically see the person on the other line shrugging. "Define follow. If you mean I had someone watch your every movement and then had them reported back to me, then yes, I have been having you followed. And you claimed to know of it, so why are you being so sensitive?"

"Why you complete—" Ayami let out a line of noun, verbs, and adjectives, that told the other person exactly what she thought they deserved, when, and where. None of which were at all flattering. Mai flinched at the labels the other girl used, but whoever was on the other line merely laughed.

"So kind you are, my belle," he said, speaking now in English. A slight British accent dragged around his words, but still, Mai was amazed by the ease in which he changed languages.

"Don't get all Shakespeare on me, buddy," Ayami snapped, still speaking in Japanese. Whoever this was, they could make Ayami lose composure the way she did it for everyone else. "So are you going to tell me where it is or not?" Ayami demanded.

Again, there was another laugh. "Don't you think you should be a little friendlier when asking for a favour, my belle? After all, you're the one that needs it, not me."

"Well I left mine at home," Ayami said. "If you're not going to tell me where it is, let me know now so I can choose another way of getting rid of Eleusis."

There was a light click, and a slight pause. "You're thinking of using the elements of the Pyramidal Lining, aren't you?" All the humour had faded from his voice now and Mai looked up, just to see Ayami roll her eyes. "You know that's dangerous, Ayami."

"Good bye, Raidon."

She reached her hand out and ended the phone call with a single button. Then, quite humbly, Ayami clicked the button again, just to keep the line connected, before turning to Mai.

"Well, you've just had the pleasure of listening to one Mimisaki Raidon, Mai. So what brings you here now? I'm surprised that you still want to talk to me after the discussion we had this morning."

And at that, Mai was uncertain. She could not believe that she had had such an interlude when she'd stood outside the door, only to forget most of her purpose after entering the room.

"Are you worried about tonight's events?" Ayami asked. The girl smiled in a friendly manner. "Don't worry; I won't let any harm come to your friends."

Was that what she'd come for?

"I didn't think that anything would happen to them," Mai replied when she saw the look in Ayami's eyes.

There was a slight pause, and for the first time, Mai saw that Ayami was surprised.

"You don't think I'm a bad person, do you?" Crystal laughter echoed through the cold room for a moment, and Ayami, now cynical, shook her head. "I would do anything to keep that innocence in you, Mai. You're such a good person; you search for qualities in anyone, even if there isn't anything to find."

Mai frowned. "You're a good person though." Mai remembered back to something Bou-san had told her once and her face lit up. "Oh! Bou-san told me that people with certain auras are able to repel spirits with their presence, and most of the people are made of purity. Every time you come along, the spirits leave me—"

Ayami's expression was dry in response and Mai's words faltered on her lips. "You're overestimating me here. The reason why the spirits in this house avoid me is because Raidon slipped holy water inside all the alcohol in the manor. For that reason, they keep away from me, seeing as when I'm on his property, I can't go three hours without something to drink."

Mai blinked. Oh. Well, she'd certainly gotten that wrong.

Ayami frowned at Mai, her mind thinking of something that Mai had a feeling she wouldn't be able to comprehend.

"Mai, have your parents ever spoken to you about where they came from?" Ayami asked.

Mai shook her head. How had the topic transferred to her parents, anyway? "My parents passed away when I was younger. They might have told me, but I've forgotten it, really."

"Then do you know anything about them?"

Again, she shook her head, though her confusion deepened.

Ayami didn't say anything. Instead, she shrugged. She reached for her mug and took a deep sip of whatever it was that was in it. Knowing Ayami, probably alcohol.

"It's not liquor," Ayami smiled, after having either correctly interpreting Mai's expression or reading her thoughts. "It's just water now. I might need to crack open a vein later, so I need as much water as I can get. Alcohol makes your blood thinner, so I won't be drinking for awhile."

Crack open a vein? Mai remembered back to the dream she'd had of the girl in the cemetery. "So how do you plan to get the Goddess back to where she came from?"

Ayami looked towards the phone. "I had a way, and that would have been the easiest, but unfortunately, I need a tool that I'd left at home, and the owner of this house doesn't want to share his. Normally, when one attempts to pacify a god, human sacrifice is required."

Mai frowned. A human sacrifice?

Ayami stood up from her desk, walking towards her vanity table. She opened one of the draws and pulled out a small, slight gift box that had probably been recently accessed. She opened the box up, and inside, Mai saw a dagger, probably made from gold, with jewels encrusted onto the handles. The blade was a tall diamond shape that reached an incredibly fine point at the very end.

"Seeing as I don't want all of us dying when I try to placate the god with my death, I'll have to release the Goddess, communicate with a stronger God, from a different culture, and use their presence to force Eleusis back to where she came from." Ayami tipped the blade between her fingers, seemingly thoughtful as she stared at her own reflection in the vanity mirror. "So who do you think I should summon?"

* * *

It was half an hour later when they'd met up with the others. Ayami led Mai to a room that they hadn't seen before, across from the Third Floor. The others must have been brought here by Touya-san, because it wasn't as though they'd ever been here themselves.

"And here comes hell," Ayami murmured, then she moved towards strolling to the other side of the room. She exchanged a few words with Touya-san, and Ayako pulled Mai away, bombarding her with questions of her location for the past hour. Apparently, Naru had tried to reach her and hadn't been able to, so he hadn't been happy. Mai smiled sheepishly, realising that she'd left her phone at base again. She cast a look towards the others die of the room and saw that Naru, as said, did not look happy. Masako let out an indignant huff, as typical of her behaviour, and Mai turned back to look to see what Ayami was doing.

Ayami blinked when she saw the video camera that had been set up in front of her. Mai frowned too, wondering why they bothered with it. Normally, they only needed this camera when they were moderating situations that they weren't sure of. Then again, it wasn't as though they were sure of any of this.

"You're filming?" Ayami asked blankly.

Yasuhara-san stepped forward, smiling brightly. "If you don't mind."

"Oh, I don't mind at all," Ayami said. "I just hope you have insurance on all your property."

She shook her head, as though trying to get a grasp of why on Earth they would bother. Then, Ayami turned over and engaged in a small conversation with Lin-san that mainly involved her talking and Lin-san staring.

Mai walked towards Ayami. When she got there, Lin-san nodded and left.

Ayami frowned, looking after Lin-san as he moved to make sure that everything, including the cameras, was correctly placed. "A man of many words, isn't he?" Ayami said dryly.

Mai suppressed a smile. "Lin-san doesn't normally have much to say," she said.

"Yes, I can see that," Ayami said, frowning still. "Maybe I should drop some wax on him and see if he reacts after that."

Mai's grin stretched across her face this time. "But don't you need him?"

Ayami nodded and then shrugged, as though considering something, before her face broke out into an evil smirk.

"Watch this," she murmured.

The girl took a step forward, moving towards Lin-san as she grabbed a ceremonial knife from the table. She got to the senior assistant, who had been joined by Naru, and held the knife towards the man. Bou-san, Naru, and Lin-san turned over to her methodically.

Frowning, Lin-san accepted the tool and looked at it blankly. Yasuhara-san slipped in to stand beside Mai and both she and he watched their hostess address the most aloof individual in the room.

"What's she doing?"

Mai shook her head, not taking her eyes off the other girl. "I'm not sure."

Ayami was looking up at Lin-san, her face completely blank and serious. "I'm thinking of using Egyptian rituals for this and I need an organ. Do you mind donating a kidney?"

Lin-san blinked.

There was a paused beat, and then another, and then another. Then, Mai and Yasuhara-san burst out laughing and Bou-san covered his mouth with his hand quickly, suppressing his silent chuckles. Naru shot them a glare from where he stood. Quickly, they silenced their laughter and got along on silent giggles instead.

Lin-san handed the knife back to Ayami. His usual distant expression had returned, and he merely stared at her.

Ayami's lips twitched, but she refrained from smiling as she tsked. "Absolutely no sense of humour," she declared, and made way towards the further end of the room. As she went, she shot both Mai and Yasuhara-san a wink before she reached her destination and began observing the tools on the table.

Moments later, Ayami stood in front of a desk in the plain, bare room. The rest of _S.P.R _lined up against the wall, watching her.

"I feel like I'm drafting for someone's doom," Ayami said dryly. "Thank God I let you people choose who was going to do this. The majority of you already have it in your heads that I am the Wicked Witch from The West." Ayami gestured towards the unusual mat that had been laid across the floor. "Well, I need two people. Whoever it is that is getting chosen, please stand at the pyramid points."

Ayako frowned, no doubt observing, just as Mai had, that there were three points to the pyramid, not two. "Who stands at the third point then?"

Ayami turned to her. "Me, obviously."

Mai blinked. She hadn't thought that Ayami would be actively participating in the ceremonial part of this also.

John-san too seemed to share her thoughts. "Can you do that if you're the one that…" he drifted off, an apologetic smile setting on his face.

Ayami shrugged. "Yeah. I can." She winked. "Watch me."

Lin-san and Bou-san stepped forward, Ayami moved towards them, but she didn't move to stand at the final point of the triangle.

"What do we do?" Bou-san asked. He appeared a little nervous, though Mai couldn't blame him. They had no idea what was going on here, and were all completely out of element.

"Stand there and look pretty," Ayami replied evenly. Then, she smiled. "It'll be easy for one of you." Her eyes took in what Bou-san was wearing and her smile turned into a grin. "And not so easy for the other." Then, her eyes turned gravely serious for just a moment. "And please, whatever you do, _do not leave your spot_."

Before any of them could reply, she continued. "I'll slice open the vein and forgo the blood for sacrilege. Normally, we need animal blood, but because someone" –Ayami shot a deadened glare at the door, and Mai had a feeling she meant it for Touya-san –"didn't want any animal bloods sullying the couches, and Lin-san refused to donate his kidney, I have to use myself instead. When I do what I do, Touya will release Eleusis from the ward. She will sense another presence and humbly return back to where she came from" She cast a brilliant smile. "And if we can all be quiet, then I can do my job." Masako huffed and Mai suppressed a grin. Though she hated to admit it, it was normally Ayami that really opened her mouth the most.

Then, Ayami stepped into the final corner of the triangle. She lifted her right arm, using the knife in her left hand to break the skin by her wrist. Mai's eyes widened when she realised that there was still a scar from Ayami's last summoning.

Dark, foreboding tones spilt from Ayami's lips and Mai was horrified when she saw Ayami's face literally transform into that of another person's. The girl began chanting in another language that Mai did not understand. Beside her, Masako suppressed a scream as upstairs, there was a loud, smashing sound. Mai's eyes cast upwards, realising that that must have been the goddess that had just been released.

Huge winds seemed from the walls. The doors were all closed; the gushes seemed to come from nowhere. They all gasped and Mai dodged quickly as one of the items of the table blew towards her. The wind grew stronger and they all hit the ground. Bou-san, Lin-san, Naru, and Ayami were the only ones that were still standing – Ayami the only one that seemed immune to the winds.

A woman, her hair long and black, materialised behind Ayami suddenly. Mai stared when she realised that the winds still ran towards Ayami's direction; it just seemed to be deflected when it reached her. The other woman stood beside Ayami calmly, her eyes cold as she calmly looked from left to right. Whoever this person was, she was not friendly.

Mai dragged herself across the floor to her and she opened her mouth, ready to warn Ayami of the person behind her as she scrambled onto her feet.

Somehow, as she'd crawled, she'd ended up beside Naru. When Mai stood up, she realised that Naru had noticed her already. "Mai! Stay down!"

Mai hesitated, not wanting to argue with Naru at a time like this. Suddenly, the winds grew stronger and Naru covered her head with his arms, forcing her eyes to look away. Mai choked, realising that something grainy had been caught in her throat. Whatever it was, it was also hitting against her face. For something that was blowing in winter, it was strangely hot and humid. Mai had never been to a desert, but this was what it reminded her of.

Then, the winds abruptly ceased, and there was a final screech from someone upstairs. Moments later, Naru let go of Mai and Mai looked up, her heartbeat running at rapid rates as the others stood up also. Naru's coat had was completely filled of sand; Lin-san's, Yasuhara-san's and Bou-san's hair seemed to have soot running from it, John-san was attempting to cough out the sand in his throat, and Ayako and Masako's clothing seemed to have fallen in every direction possible. Mai didn't even want to look down to see how she was.

Of all the people in the room, only Ayami was dirt and rustle free.

Ayami gestured grandly around the room, her gesture amazingly Old World. "And the deed is done," she declared.

Then, the girl smiled. It was a light, dim smile, before her eyelids fluttered, and she fell dead to the ground.

* * *

13.08.2008: Yet another chapter...this, as you could probably guess, is the end of the segment. There's going to be an Epilogue now, and that's it. Hehe...Then I'll eventually get the next section up, and the one after that, and the one after that...but yeah, whenever...

Anyway, many thanks to: **Gabryell-P, canadian violet (**Nah, Mai didn't get hurt this time, suprisingly enough. There are more answers in the Epilogue, if that makes you feel any better, though I doubt it does. But Ayami's not quite strong as you seem to think she is...), **killbethy, Kay **(thanks; glad to hear from you again), **yumegirl91, luna-moongoddess, julie34 (**Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you like the concept. I think it's a little fantasy like for Ghost Hunt though...


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The hospital was located in the dead of Tokyo City. Mai had been on the train for over four hours in order to get here, and now, she was standing right in front of a hospital room with the words _Domjouji Ayami _in front of it.

Yasuhara-san blinked at Mai's reluctance and he nodded towards the door. When Mai had announced that she was visiting Ayami today, only Yasuhara-san had volunteered to come with her. Bou-san had snorted and tried to dissuade her from the cause, but Mai was standing here anyway.

The case had officially ended three days ago. _S.P.R _had officially vacated the house two hours after the ceremony. After Ayami had fainted, they'd called the ambulance and she'd been rushed via helicopter to a private hospital in Tokyo. Mai had been amazed when she'd found out that there had been a helicopter on the way, but it turned out that someone had put it on hold already for Ayami. Lin-san had gotten a confirmation an hour later that told Mai that Ayami was safe. Apparently, she'd just overexerted her body.

"Taniyama-san. Oh, Tani_yama_-san." Yasuhara-san smiled when Mai turned over to him. "Are we going to go in? You've been looking at this door for awhile."

Mai nodded, waking herself from her thoughts. She forced a smile and rapped her knuckled on the door politely.

"Come in," Ayami called out.

Mai smiled, her mood brightening when she heard the other girl's voice. Ayami still sounded strong and bright, which was definitely a good thing. Mai pushed the door open and she saw a bright, square room pull out in front of her. Brightness spilt out to Mai immediately.

"Large, isn't it?" Ayami's voice laughed. "The last time I saw a hospital room this big, it was in a palliative care unit. Let's just say that I am a little bit worried about my location at the moment." Ayami was sitting on the hospital bed, Touya-san standing dutifully beside her as he poured some water out of a jug for her.

Ayami's smile greeted Mai, but she probably hadn't expected Yasuhara-san though, because when she saw him, a slight flicker of surprise passed through her eyes. Mai noticed that after they'd found out about Ayami being a blue-blooded psychic, she'd been a lot less guarded about her expressions.

"Domjouji-san. How are you feeling?"

There was a light shrug in response to Yasuhara-san's question. "Peachy. Just plain peachy. Note to self: arrogance never pays off. I should probably change my attitude in the future." Ayami cast a cheeky wink. "Apparently, I overdid it and completely exhausted my body."

Like the way Naru had?

Touya-san blinked once. "Master Raidon was horrified, Ayami-sama. He almost flew back to Japan himself to see how you were himself."

"Note _almost _as the keyword, Touya. And Raidon was horrified alright; I spilt blood onto his floors and got sand into his wallpaper. Not only is he horrified, he's also damn pissed. I just received a call while I was sleeping." Ayami added, seemingly for Mai's and Yasuhara-san's benefit. "He likes to visit me in my sleep. Then, he can crack lame jokes and say that he is literally 'the man of my dreams' before I try to knee him. It doesn't really work, seeing as the man isn't corporeal, but one's gotta give a girl the points for trying."

Mai wasn't sure what to make of Ayami's relationship with the mysterious Raidon, so she merely nodded. Beside Mai, Yasuhara-san mimicked her action.

"Thanks for visiting me though," Ayami added. "This place is dreadfully dull. Thank god I'm going home tomorrow morning." She waved the hand that had been linked to various IV tubes and needles. "I cannot wait to get this thing out of me."

Was it just Mai, or was Ayami more chattery than normal? Ayami must have noticed Mai's expression, because she smiled again. "So has everyone moved out of the manor?"

Yasuhara-san nodded. "We left on the day you left too. Shibuya-san didn't feel comfortable staying in the house if the owner wasn't there."

Ayami shrugged. "Understandable. The place isn't exactly safe to hang around." Then, she noted the flowers in Yasuhara-san's hands and her smile widened. "Are they for me?" she asked innocently.

Yasuhara-san blinked, as though not sure of what she was referring to before he looked down and realised that he was carrying flowers in his hands.

"Of course!" he said, and immediately held out the flowers to her. "Here you go, Domjouji-san."

Ayami smiled brightly as Touya-san took the flowers. The manservant took the flowers away from Yasuhara-san and exited quietly, now in search of a vase to set for the plants. Yasuhara-san volunteered to accompany the elder and left with him.

When the elder left, Ayami let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. I'm so glad we got rid of him. He has been tailing me all day and night as though he thinks I'm going to summon another goddess and cause mischief." Ayami shook her head. "Goodness, even _I _am not that reckless."

Mai smiled at Ayami's response before something struck her mind. "Who did you summon for the second ritual?" Mai asked. Her school friends had always been scared of these 

things, and Ayako and Masako never talked about it to her either. It felt so nice to be able to talk to someone else about this thing as though this were nothing unusual.

A wide grin spread across Ayami's face and she gestured for them both to sit down. "I didn't summon anyone."

Mai opened her mouth to deny it immediately, remembering back to Ayami's tone and the woman that had circled her friend. "But you set up everything for an Egyptian summoning, you said. I saw someone—"

"You need a cat for the Egyptian summoning," Ayami cut in. "That's what I left behind, so I had to use necromancy instead. Because I wasn't dedicating myself to a certain religion, I would have needed more than two people standing at the other points of the pyramids for the summoning." Her smile shimmered. "Besides all that, I am more partial to Roman religions, so unless it was absolutely necessary, I would not attempt to summon another God."

Mai still didn't quite get it. "So you…"

Ayami nodded, a slight smile dawning on her lips. "I tricked her. She's a demi-goddess, so it wasn't overly hard to do. And since a god's powers diminish as their followers lessen, I didn't have to fret too much about Eleusis since half the world doesn't even know Demeter." Ayami leant forward and frowned when she saw that the IV was holding her back and so began fiddling with the tubes connected to her arm. "But that's not _just _what you want to know, is it?"

Mai blinked, startled that the other girl would realise, but Ayami laughed.

"Psychic, remember? I can sense your thoughts." Ayami shrugged. "Go on; ask."

And how did Mai approach this one? She hadn't really thought of it until she'd gotten home, but it was obvious that Ayami knew what she wanted to talk about.

"You mentioned my parents," Mai said finally. "It seemed as though you knew them."

"I didn't know them personally, but I am related to them." Ayami opened the drawer beside her bed. She took out a manila folder and passed it to Mai. When Mai looked inside, she realised that there were photocopies of her birth certificate, childhood pictures, and school reports. Mai's eyes widened and she looked back up at Ayami.

"I didn't do this up. Raidon sent me the file a day ago. Your mother was my aunt," Ayami told her. Ayami gestured sarcastically around the room. "Welcome to the family, Mai."

"I came to Japan this time to search for you. We are the last two surviving members of the Caecilius Clan." Ayami paused for a moment, as though unsure how she should continue. Then, she shrugged. "Seeing as you are with us, I may as well tell you what you need to know. You're friend Bou-san was actually wrong. There aren't three psychic families left; it's actually five. He is no doubt acquainted with the Miharu family, being the pacifistic weirdoes that they are. He mentioned our family, which is the Caecilius Clan, and Shibuya-san mentioned the Ramirez family. There are two more clans out there, but because they circulate with people who are darker than dark, we tend not to mention them when we need someone to go hand out awards, so he probably didn't know about them. I'm telling you so that you can be careful. Us blue-blooded psychics are drawn to one another; it won't bear well for you to attract their attention at all, seeing as you are untrained, and do not plan to be trained in the near future." Ayami paused for a moment. "Have you ever seen Alladin?"

Mai nodded. How _did_ Ayami change topics like that?

"I'm adding this part because I know that this is the question you want to ask," Ayami added. "Now, envision Princess Jasmine as your mother, and Alladin as your father, but the Sultan never approved of them. Because of that, the two eloped over two decades ago and moved to Japan."

Her parents had eloped? She hadn't even known that they were psychic. Why hadn't they mentioned any of this to her?

"As you are a member of the Caecilius Clan, you have the right to know about where you came from. Your powerful psychic abilities, untrained though they are, are probably also due to our bloodline. Possibly, your parents locked your powers when you were younger and exposure to the spiritual world reversed their efforts." Ayami looked around the room now but Mai could tell that she was seeing more than the scene in front of her. "Blue-bloods of any importance live the most miserable lives, Mai, and we turn out to be incredibly bitter. I don't want you to end up like me."

Mai felt something like pity stabbed her in the heart. Ayami had never seemed bitter to her, yet she sounded so poignant when she said it.

"You're not bitter," Mai said.

The wry smile returned. "Trust me, when you've lived like me with people around you, your social skills can take the cake."

"But you've always been so nice to me, and you seem friendly with Yasuhara-san too."

"Because I can read both your thoughts, and neither of you judge me by what you see on the outside." Ayami smiled wryly. "I know you think of _SPR _as your family, but believe me, Mai; this is not the lifestyle that you would want to live forever. Regardless, I'll have my accountants forward you a monthly sum. That should ensure that you live a comfortable lifestyle for the rest of your life. You won't need to work anymore if you don't want to."

Mai blinked. She didn't understand what Ayami was going on about. Sure, Ghost Hunting could be dangerous, but Ayami made it sound like a terribly experience. And she couldn't stand the thought of having someone else do that for her.

"There's no need for you to waste your money. I like my independence, and it's good for me to go to work."

"You have rights to the family funds too, and as head of it, I am meant to provide you with an allowance." The tension faded as Ayami smiled brilliantly. "Trust me, this family has been around for so long, we are literally richer than sin itself. Forwarding several thousand Australian dollars to your account every month should not be a problem."

And how many yen was that?

Ayami's smile turned tender. "I've never had true family before, Mai, so I'm glad I met you. I just hope we don't end up estranged like the rest of the Caecilius Clan had." Mai opened her mouth to question Ayami, but then the girl suddenly spoke again.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to tell you something. I told you that there are five blue-blooded psychic families left, but not all of them are safe. I can protect you from four of the Five. But you have to be exceptionally vigilant in order to avoid the last, okay? I've never met them, so I can't tell you what they're like. I just know that they're not good people. If they approached me on the streets, I wouldn't be able to avoid them either."

Mai didn't quite get it. "But you said that you could read minds."

"There are some people who can't be read, and I don't actually go out of my way to read someone's thoughts unless I want to. It's like eavesdropping on someone's conversation; you don't need to, but sometimes you can't help it. And, I can't read the thoughts of powerful psychics; I can only sense them. The more powerful the psychic, the less I'm able to sense." Ayami smiled then. "And your employer, Mai, is one of the most powerful psychics that I have ever met in my life, and I know for a fact that he's not from one of The Five." She shrugged, now turning back to the window. "It kind of asks you what other secrets his hiding behind that face, doesn't it?"

* * *

Almost two hours later, Mai left the hospital Ayami was staying at. Yasuhara-san had needed to visit a library in Tokyo, and as he'd probably be getting back late, Mai had said that she would head home first.

A melody went off suddenly and Mai jumped, looking around as she wondered whose phone was going off. Then, she noted the stares everyone else was giving her and smiled sheepishly, realising that it was the cell in her pocket.

"Hello?" Mai greeted after she'd answered.

"Mai? Where are you?"

Only Naru could possibly sound that dry on the phone.

"I'm at the hospital Ayami was staying at," Mai said. He should know since she'd announced it in the office and asked if anyone had wanted to come with her. "Did you need me for something?"

"No," a voice next to her answered.

Mai screamed and almost dropped her phone. Naru was right next to her, dressed in his usual black. He shut his phone and closed the file that he'd been holding.

"Naru! Don't do that!" Mai let out. She rubbed her chest as she tried to soothe her heartbeat. Then, she frowned, wondering what on Earth he was doing here. Please no one tell her that their next job was at this hospital. "Why are you here? Did you come to visit Ayami too?"

His blank expression told her that she must have been pretty stupid to ask that question. Mai nodded to herself. And it was a pretty stupid question as she knew that he didn't like Ayami that much.

Naru nodded towards a black car that was parked right beside them. "I brought a car. I'll drive you back; you caught the train here, didn't you?" It wasn't the van that Lin-san normally drove, so that probably meant that it was Naru's car. It looked obscenely expensive too.

Mai nodded. "Yeah, yeah; I did." At least that confirmed Bou-san's earlier suspicions. Naru did have his license. But several hours on the car alone with Naru? Mai brightened, getting into the car. This was either going to be totally awesome or completely horrible.

"Are you done?" Naru asked dryly. He'd already strapped himself into the driver's seat.

Mai nodded quickly, her grin widening. She remembered back to what Ayami had said in the room about Naru's psychic powers. He never mentioned his powers, so would she do well not to say anything? Perhaps it wasn't a good time to ask about it now.

They travelled for about half an hour, the uncomfortable silence stretching in her brain. Maybe the train wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all.

Then, she finally broke the silence. "So what job are we doing next?" Mai asked. She thought back to the hospital, not quite being able to resist the urge to gulp. "It's not one at the hospital, is it?"

"I haven't said yes to anything, but there's a possibility."

Mai nodded slowly. Then, her smile brightened as she remembered back to Ayami.

"You don't seem so miserable about the concept," Naru commented wryly.

Mai shook her head. "No; it's not that. Ayami just told me that she was related to my mother. We're cousins." She turned to look at him. "I haven't had family for the longest time. It feels nice not to be alone."

He didn't seem surprised. Naru nodded slowly, his expression dry. "That's perfect," he said deprecatingly.

Mai, as usual, had no idea what he was on about.

* * *

24.08.2008: Hey! It's finished. I actually completed this last night but then I was so sleepy that I couldn't be bothered uploading it. Thanks for sticking with me through the little epic. The sequel should be out...eventually. It should be out eventually. LOL I've been trying to work on my original stories too, but so far I don't quite get pass the first chapter before I lose interest. Hehe...anyway, thanks for everything! Cheers

Many thanks to: **killbethy, Kay **(lol thanks), **Gabryell-P, zerosecons, yumegirl91, lunamoongoddess, canadian violet (**lol no, no, she's not dead. Fell dead to the ground was just an expression. I was going to do the whole her eyes fluttered, etc. etc. but figured that Mai probably couldn't see that well seeing as there was sand everywhere ;)), and **julia34** (Hey! Hope that answered some of your questions. There will be more about The Five in the future stories, and Mai gets to meet the Miharu family eventually too. But Ayami certainly does have style, doesn't she?)

* * *


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